A GaN technology supports 2200V systems, helping power devices handle higher voltage in data centres, EVs, solar systems, and energy storage.
Power Integrations has raised the voltage rating of its PowiGaN gallium-nitride (GaN) technology to 2200 V, targeting power systems that are moving toward higher-voltage bus architectures.
Higher bus voltages allow power systems to handle more power without making the system larger. This is becoming important in data centres, electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, and high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) infrastructure, where higher power levels and power density are becoming key design requirements.
The 2200 V rating gives designers another option for building high-voltage power conversion systems. It can also reduce the need to connect several lower-voltage GaN devices in a stack.
GaN power switches are increasingly used in power conversion because they can switch faster and operate with lower losses than silicon transistors. However, many GaN devices have voltage ratings that limit their use in higher-voltage systems.
Designers can address this by using silicon carbide devices or by connecting multiple lower-voltage GaN devices in series. Silicon carbide can operate at high voltages but generally switches at lower frequencies than GaN. Stacking GaN devices, meanwhile, adds circuits and components and can increase system complexity. It can also affect power density and reliability.
PowiGaN is Power Integrations’ GaN technology for high-voltage power conversion. The company already offers PowiGaN ICs with voltage ratings of 1250 V and 1700 V.
The 1700 V devices are being designed for single-stage auxiliary power supplies in data centres. The 1250 V devices can be used in the main power path of 800 VDC data centres, providing an alternative to using stacked GaN devices.
The new 2200 V technology extends this approach to higher-voltage bus architectures. Potential applications include data centres, electric vehicles, photovoltaic inverters, and battery energy storage systems.
The company says the 2200 V PowiGaN technology has a higher voltage rating than other commercially available GaN technologies. The company expects it to support power conversion systems that need higher voltage operation while maintaining high power density.
