GaN 40-V Switches Reduce Footprint by 82% for Portable Power Designs
Infineon Technologies expanded its CoolGaN BDS 40-V G3 bidirectional switch (BDS) family with two new devices, the IGK048B041S and IGK120B041S. These latest additions reduce PCB footprint by up to 82% and cut component count in half.
Targeting the strict spatial constraints of compact consumer devices, the devices give power-system designers greater flexibility to optimize efficiency and streamline designs without sacrificing performance.
Unlike silicon MOSFETs, which rely on a body diode that can allow unintended current flow, the CoolGaN BDS devices enable bidirectional voltage and current blocking. This true bidirectional blocking capability is essential for applications such as USB overvoltage protection in smartphones and portable devices, where preventing unwanted reverse current is critical to protecting sensitive downstream components.
The devices are equally well-suited to load switching and power multiplexing functions in multi-rail power architectures. In these cases, precise control of current direction across multiple supply rails is a must.
“Each device integrates the function of two back-to-back silicon MOSFETs into a single component, reducing component count by half and simplifying PCB layouts”, said Johannes Schoiswohl, GaN Business Line Head at Infineon. “This allows design teams to leverage existing driver layout, avoiding costly redesigns and accelerating time-to-market. The result is a leaner and more cost-effective power path.”
The BDS, like other gallium-nitride (GaN) devices, is compatible with a 5-V gate drive. Offered in WLCSP chip-scale packages measuring 2.1 × 2.1 mm2 and 1.7 × 1.2 mm2, the IGK048B041S and IGK120B041S are engineered for the tight spatial constraints of smartphones, notebooks, and wearables. The larger GaN device achieves 4.2-mΩ RDS(on) while the smaller device delivers 9-mΩ RDS(on).
The CoolGaN BDS also offer high switching and leakage performance, with gate charges that are up to approximately 40% lower than comparable competing devices. On top of that, drain-drain leakage current is more than 85% lower than competing solutions.
The IGK048B041S and IGK120B041S are available now through Infineon's authorized distribution channels.
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.