Strategic integration of high-speed, high-voltage gallium nitride (GaN) and low-voltage silicon system-controller chips enables easy-to-use, high-efficiency, fast-charging power systems
Navitas Semiconductor (Nasdaq: NVTS), the only pure-play, next-generation power semiconductor company and industry leader in gallium nitride (GaN) power ICs and silicon carbide (SiC) technology, has launched a new family of GaNSense Control ICs that deliver unprecedented levels of performance and integration.
GaN is a next-generation semiconductor technology that is a significant upgrade over conventional high-voltage (HV) silicon (Si) power semiconductors, while also reducing the energy and physical space needed to deliver that performance. It runs up to 20x faster and can also enable up to three times more power handling or three times faster charging capability, in half the size and weight. Each of these power systems also require an optimized, high-speed, low-voltage (LV) silicon system controller which Navitas has developed and integrated with its high-performance GaN ICs to create the industry’s first GaNSense control IC technology.
The initial range of GaNSense Control features high-frequency quasi-resonant (HFQR) flybacks supporting QR, DCM, CCM and multiple-frequency, hybrid-mode operations, with frequencies up to 225 kHz. The range is provided in a single, surface-mount QFN package (NV695x-series) or as a chip-set (NV9510x + NV61xx) for maximum designer flexibility. On the secondary side, integrated synchronous rectifier (SR) power ICs (NV97xx) achieve maximum efficiency at any load condition compared to conventional rectifiers.
Integrated features such as loss-less current sensing, HV start-up, frequency-hopping, low standby power, and wide VDD input voltage deliver small, efficient, cool-running systems with fewer components and no RSENSE hot-spot. An array of integrated protection features including 800 V transient voltage, 2 kV ESD, over-voltage, over-current, and over-temperature protection create a robust power IC and reliable power systems.
Initial applications cover 20 – 150 W including smartphone, tablet and laptop chargers, consumer and home appliances, point-of-sale, and auxiliary supplies in high-power data center power and 400 V EV systems. Over a million units have already been shipped.
“Strategically adding high-speed, analog and mixed-signal silicon controller technology to our existing GaN, SiC and digital-isolator technology platforms creates a design foundation for optimized power systems , adding over $1B/year to the addressable market opportunity,” said Navitas COO/CTO and co-founder Dan Kinzer. “We’re starting with GaNSense Control for fast-chargers and consumer appliances, as well as auxiliary supplies in servers and data centers. In the future, we can expand the portfolio to address higher-power applications in renewable energy, energy storage, and electric vehicles. Navitas is uniquely positioned to influence customer architecture decisions with our advanced system design centers in those markets. Through those, we are able to maximize the system benefits and Navitas’ value whether using GaN or SiC in next-generation power electronics.”
