Semiconductors aimed at the automotive and industrial sectors have been coming at us at a fast and furious pace. Here is yet another example: Texas Instruments recently expanded its family of high-voltage power-management devices with the introduction of 600- and 650-V gallium nitride (GaN) FETs, dubbed the LMG3425R030. There are four new devices in the family.
With a fast-switching, 2.2-MHz integrated gate driver, the GaN FETs increase power density and efficiency and, according to the company, reduce the size of power magnetics by 59% compared to existing solutions. The FETs are designed with proprietary GaN materials on a GaN-on-silicon (Si) substrate, providing cost and supply-chain advantages over comparable substrate materials such as silicon carbide (SiC).
A key feature of the devices is the ability to sit in closer proximity on a PCB, a requirement for today’s (and tomorrow’s) shrinking electronics. That’s one of the properties of GaN technology that TI has taken advantage of. More information is available in the app note Maximizing the Performance of GaN with Ideal Diode Mode.
Pre-production versions of the four new industrial-grade, 600-V GaN FETs are available now, in a 12- by12-mm, QFN package. Prices range from $8.34 to $14.68 each, in 1000-unit lots. Evaluation moduloes are available for al four as well, al set at $199.
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