How GaN technology can be brought into the homes of ordinary people

As people's environmental awareness increases and the goals of carbon peak/carbon neutrality are set, the market demand for power management products with higher efficiency and higher power density continues to increase, which gives third-generation semiconductor technology considerable room for development.

The third-generation semiconductor materials have the advantages of high thermal conductivity, high breakdown field strength, high saturated electron drift rate and high bonding energy. They can meet the new requirements of modern electronic technology for harsh conditions such as high temperature, high power, high voltage, high frequency and high radiation. Compared with silicon-based semiconductors, they can reduce energy loss by more than 50%.

Many power management or RF companies have already identified third-generation semiconductors as an important strategic goal for their company development. Companies including ST, Infineon, Texas Instruments, PI, Rohm, Qorvo, NXP, WolfSpeed, etc. have all responded positively to third-generation semiconductors.

Start with your phone charger

GaN technology is old, but its applications are very new, at least in the consumer market. "For the past decade, the GaN power market has been driven primarily by high-end, high-performance applications that offer high-frequency switching, low on-resistance, and smaller form factors at the system level," commented Ezgi Dogmus, an analyst at Yole Development, in an article at the end of 2019. "However, things are changing for GaN power in 2019."

GaN is entering mainstream consumer applications. Mobile phone manufacturer OPPO announced in October 2019 that it had selected GaN-based Super Flash Charge technology in its 65W built-in fast charger for its new Reno Ace flagship phone, marking the first time that GaN power devices have entered the high-volume smartphone market.

A week before OPPO’s official announcement, Balu Balakrishnan, CEO of Power Integrations, Inc. (PI), came to Shenzhen and attended the event at Anker Innovations’ Shenzhen headquarters. He personally handed over PI’s one millionth InnoSwitch3 switcher IC using the company’s PowiGaN technology to Anker CEO Yang Meng. It was less than a year since Anker released its first “ANKER PowerPort Atom PD1” GaN charger in New York, USA on October 25, 2018.

In 2020, mobile phone OEMs have started a trend of canceling original adapters. One of the important reasons for the cancellation is that GaN chargers have begun to emerge in the market. This fast charger developed using third-generation semiconductors has the characteristics of small size, high efficiency, and high power density, which greatly improves the consumer experience.

According to Doug Bailey, PI's vice president of marketing, based on GaN, PI can be used in beautiful and fashionable fast chargers, which can be paired with high-end or mass-market smart mobile devices as product features. At the same time, GaN 65W chargers are very popular in the accessories market and can be purchased for less than $25.

In 2020, PI GaN product sales were approximately $10 million, and are expected to double or triple in 2021, which is consistent with the market's optimistic expectations. In just over a year, we have seen that more and more chargers at home have been replaced with fast chargers. This inconspicuous technological innovation allows more people to better enjoy the convenience of mobile life.

Long-term focus on GaN research and development

In 2010, PI acquired Velox Semiconductor and used the company's research results in GaN power devices to create "PowiGaN" technology. It adopted a different approach from other companies and integrated GaN switches into its third-generation integrated InnoSwitch devices, achieving product differentiation through high integration.

Due to the high conversion frequency of GaN, it is very difficult to deal with EMI. In the same package, engineers do not need to pay extra attention to EMC and EMI issues. "We believe that PI has surpassed many competitors who are selling discrete GaN FETs, which are difficult to use and require a lot of design work. The highly integrated IC solution provided by PI is easy to use and has significant performance and size advantages." Doug said. Independent GaN FET products seem to be flexibly applied to various products, but lack targeted optimization. In a highly integrated way, InnoSwitch can better optimize chargers of 65W or other specifications. And because no more additional peripheral components are required, reliability will also be improved accordingly.

It is worth mentioning that due to the highly integrated GaN solution, designers do not need to learn new technologies. They only need to design in the PowiGaN-based flyback switch IC to immediately obtain the power and size advantages provided by GaN. Designers can bring products to market faster and realize the advantages of high integration such as fewer components and smaller PCB size.

It is precisely because of the continuous investment in R&D in the field of GaN that PI has accumulated a lot of technology and expertise. Provide comprehensive reference designs and a professional global FAE team to support customers' design work. PI's CEO Balu previously said, "We have always focused on long-term investment in R&D, focusing on expanding our potential market and developing disruptive technologies. These efforts will take many years to fully realize, but we have achieved it, and I am excited about the next few years because we have now seen the return of long-term investment."

Never stop

PI has always been good at extending its unique process technology to its various complex product portfolios, such as FluxLink communication technology, which can perform feedback control between safety isolation zones without using any magnetic core materials. It has been widely used in adapters, automobiles, LEDs and many other applications and has achieved success. PowiGaN is replicating this path.

PI's MinE-CAP IC can be used with the InnoSwitch3 flyback converter, and both devices use PowiGaN technology. LYTSwitch™-6 LED driver IC also uses GaN. "GaN is a better switching technology than silicon for many applications. We expect that many future products will integrate PowiGaN, and I believe new applications will also benefit from PowiGaN." Doug said confidently.

PowiGaN has delivered satisfactory results in the fast charging market, and its application in home appliances such as TVs and refrigerators has demonstrated excellent performance, not only because of the size issue, but more importantly because of its high efficiency. Although for some fields, the power conversion efficiency has reached as much as 95%, and the increase to 96% seems to be only a small improvement, it means that the heat dissipation performance has increased by as much as 20%. This means that a smaller or even no heat sink can be used, which will greatly enhance the robustness of the entire system. Today, PI's PowiGaN is widely used in many fields, including industry, consumption, lighting and commercial use, with its higher efficiency and smaller product design.

According to a report released by market research firm MarketsandMarkets, the gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor device market is expected to rise from US$16.5 billion in 2016 to US$22.47 billion in 2023, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.6% from 2017 to 2023. The third-generation semiconductor has shown a gratifying growth momentum under the support of market demand, technological progress and capital. I believe that Doug's vision will soon be realized, and GaN will play a pivotal role in all application markets.