700-V GaN Semiconductors Enhance Energy Efficiency in High-Demand Apps
The 700-V PowerGaN devices in STMicroelectronics’ STPOWER portfolio of gallium-nitride (GaN)-based semiconductors are designed to improve efficiency and increase power density in high-demand applications such as artificial intelligence (AI). Like all members of the PowerGaN family, they offer low conduction losses, very low switching loss at high operating frequencies, and zero reverse-recovery charge, leading to reduced system size, weight, and operating temperature.
Engineered for a 700-V rating, they support reliable high-power operation and higher-frequency power-conversion topologies in AI, robotics, industrial power supplies, and smart-grid converters for energy generation, distribution, and storage.
The seven new GaN enhancement-mode transistors (HEMTs) now joining the PowerGaN series cover a wide range of continuous current ratings, from 6 to 29 A, and typical RDS(on) is from 53 to 270 mΩ. The devices share the ultra-low internal capacitances and low gate charge, inherent in GaN wide-bandgap technology, giving them a QG × RDS(on) figure of merit (FOM) significantly ahead of traditional silicon devices.
The 700-V PowerGaN series currently includes:
- SGT350R70GTK (6 A, 270 mΩ*) in a 6.10- × 6.60-mm 3-pin DPAK with solderable tab.
- SGT070R70HTO (26 A, 53 mΩ*) in a leadless TOLL with thermally efficient drain and source connections.
- SGT080R70ILB (29 A, 60 mΩ), SGT105R70ILB (21.7 A, 80 mΩ), SGT140R70ILB (17 A, 106 mΩ), SGT190R70ILB (11.5 A, 138 mΩ), SGT240R70ILB (10 A, 165 mΩ*) in a PowerFLAT 8×8 with solderable source pad for enhanced thermal performance.
*typical RDS(on)
Qualified to ST’s stringent reliability standards, the devices can drop into power‑conversion circuits as a replacement for MOSFETs, or enable new, higher‑frequency topologies. Their capability to operate at elevated switching frequencies reduces the size of magnetics and passives, enabling a more compact power stage and higher power density.
The DPAK, TOLL, and PowerFLAT surface-mount packages are proven in practice and widely supported by major electronic design automation libraries and toolchains. The TOLL and PowerFLAT devices provide a Kelvin source connection that separates the gate-control circuit from the main power path to maximize noise immunity, protect the gate driver, and preserve timing margin.
The new transistors are in production now and priced at $0.63 to $2.25 for orders of 1,000 pieces.
About the Author
Lee Goldberg
Contributing Editor
Lee is the author of the popular PowerBites series.
Lee Goldberg is a self-identified “Recovering Engineer,” Maker/Hacker, Green-Tech Maven, Aviator, Gadfly, and Geek Dad. He spent the first 18 years of his career helping design microprocessors, embedded systems, renewable energy applications, and the occasional interplanetary spacecraft. After trading his ‘scope and soldering iron for a keyboard and a second career as a tech journalist, he’s spent the next two decades at several print and online engineering publications.
Lee’s current focus is power electronics, especially the technologies involved with energy efficiency, energy management, and renewable energy. This dovetails with his coverage of sustainable technologies and various environmental and social issues within the engineering community that he began in 1996. Lee also covers 3D printers, open-source hardware, and other Maker/Hacker technologies.
Lee holds a BSEE in Electrical Engineering from Thomas Edison College, and participated in a colloquium on technology, society, and the environment at Goddard College’s Institute for Social Ecology. His book, “Green Electronics/Green Bottom Line - A Commonsense Guide To Environmentally Responsible Engineering and Management,” was published by Newnes Press.
Lee, his wife Catherine, and his daughter Anwyn currently reside in the outskirts of Princeton N.J., where they masquerade as a typical suburban family.