Half-Bridge High Voltage Drivers for Lightweight, High Efficiency, Ultra-Fast Chargers, and Wireless Applications
STMicroelectronics has introduced the MasterGan, a half-bridge driver based on silicon technology along with a pair of gallium nitride (GaN) transistors. These new devices can handle more power even when they are smaller, more lightweight, and more energy-efficient, hence they can be used in the next generation of compact and efficient chargers and power adapters for consumer and industrial applications up to 400W.
The MasterGaN platform has been designed with STDRIVE 600V gate drivers and GaN High-Electron-Mobility Transistors (HEMT). The 9mm x 9mm low-profile GQFN package ensures high power density and is designed for high-voltage applications with over 2mm creepage distance between high-voltage and low-voltage pads.
The GaN transistors have a low turn-on loss and absence of body-diode recovery, hence the new device provides superior efficiency and overall performance enhancement in high-end, high-efficiency topology such as flyback or forward with active clamp, resonant, bridgeless totem-pole PFC (power factor corrector), and other soft- and hard-switching topologies used in AC/DC and DC/DC converters and DC/AC inverters.
The MasterGaN provides better performance in a smaller footprint, simplified assembly, and increased reliability with fewer components. The new GaN devices are best for smartphone ultra-fast chargers and wireless chargers, USB-PD compact adapters for PCs and gaming, as well as in industrial applications like solar-energy storage systems, uninterruptible power supplies, or high-end OLED TVs and server cloud.
Features of MasterGaN Transistor
- Maximum current rating: 10A
- On-resistance (RDS(ON)): 150mΩ
- Protection features: low-side and high-side UVLO protection, interlocking, a dedicated shutdown pin, and over-temperature protection.
- 3.3 V to 15 V compatible inputs with hysteresis and pull-down
- Flexible, easy, and fast design
Note: More technical information can be found in the MasterGaN1 datasheet linked at the bottom of this page and on the MasterGaN1 product page.
