Keysight Technologies announced a customized gallium nitride (GaN) test board for the company's dynamic power device analyzer / double-pulse tester (PD1500A), enabling Tier 1 and OEM power converter designers to reduce prototype cycles and speed introduction of new products. To facilitate advances in power converter design, new wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor technologies are being commercialized, providing improvements in speed, voltage and thermal operation.
To deliver consistent, reliable characterization of WBG semiconductors, Keysight developed the PD1500A dynamic power device analyzer platform, a modular, allowing discrete silicon (Si) and silicon carbide (SiC) based power devices to be characterized. Now with a customized GaN test board, Keysight's PD1500A delivers repeatable and reliable characterization for faster switching devices.
GaN is currently only targeting on-board chargers and DC:DC converters in EVs. However, with the advent of vertical GaN, expectations are that operating voltages will catch up with SiC (1.2kV and higher), making GaN a potential choice for higher power applications in e-Mobility. Keysight's measurement science enables a commercially available solution for repeatable and reliable characterization of GaN power devices, accelerating the ability of OEM and Tier 1 providers to introduce competitive EV technology to the market.