Transphorm Releases Compact 240-Watt Power Adapter Reference Design

Transphorm Releases Compact 240W Power Adapter Reference Design Using High-Performance GaN Power Transistors in TO-220 Package

Currently, none of the competing GaN technology companies have launched GaN devices with plug-in packages. By adopting plug-in packages that meet industry standards, power supplies can achieve power density advantages at a lower cost.

GOLETA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Transphorm, Inc., a pioneer and global supplier of high-reliability, high-performance Gallium Nitride (GaN) power conversion products, today announced a new 240-watt power adapter reference design. The TDAIO-TPH-ON-240W-RD design utilizes a CCM boost PFC+half-bridge LLC topology with a power density of up to 30W/in3 and a maximum power conversion efficiency of over 96%. The design uses three Transphorm SuperGaN® power transistors (TP65H150G4PS) with an on-resistance of 150 milliohms in a familiar and trusted three-pin TO-220 package . This transistor package provides excellent low-line thermal performance in higher current power systems using PFC architectures.

The reference design is designed to simplify and accelerate the development of power systems for applications such as high power density AC and DC power supplies, fast charging, IoT devices, laptops, medical power supplies, and power tools.

Main specifications and features

The TDAIO-TPH-ON-240W-RD is a 240W 24V 10A AC/DC power adapter reference design that uses Transphorm's TP65H150G4PS GaN power tube with Onsemi's commercially available NCP1654 CCM PFC controller and NCP1399 LLC controller. Using a 25mm heat sink, the design has a power density of over 24W/in3. Based on different heat sink designs, the power density can be increased by about 25% to 30W/in3.

Such high power density and conversion efficiency are mainly due to the use of TO-220 packaged power tubes in the design. Currently, Transphorm is the only company in the industry that offers high-voltage GaN devices in this package. The low-voltage lines (i.e. 90Vac) of power adapters and all universal AC and DC power supplies have high currents, and two PQFN packaged power tubes (common in enhanced GaN devices) need to be connected in parallel to achieve the required power output. Using this method, the number of devices is doubled, reducing the power density of the power supply. Transphorm's TO-220 package effectively solves this problem, achieving excellent power density at a lower cost, which is currently not possible with enhanced GaN devices.

Other specifications and features include:

• Operates over a wide input voltage range of 90 to 264 Vac

• Peak efficiency exceeds 96%, and the efficiency curve is flat under different circuits and loads

• Accurate switching frequency regulation to improve the utilization of input EMI filter

• Switching frequency over 180kHz for compact designs

This new reference design expands Transphorm’s portfolio of adapter/fast-charger design tools, which currently includes five open USB-C PD reference designs covering power levels from 45W to 100W, and two open USB-C PD/PPS adapter reference designs for 65W and 140W.

SuperGaN® Technology Advantages

In designing the SuperGaN platform, Transphorm’s engineering team drew on experience gained in previous product production processes, combined this knowledge with improvements to performance, manufacturability, and cost, and developed a new GaN platform consisting of patented technologies that offer substantial improvements and significant simplifications in many areas, such as:

• Performance: Flatter, higher efficiency curve, with approximately 10% improvement in quality factor (RON*QOSS).

• Easy to design: No buffer circuit is required at the switch node at high output current.

• Cost: Simplifying device assembly helps reduce costs.

• Robustness: Industry-leading +/-20Vmax gate robustness and 4V anti-interference performance.

• Reliability: Industry-leading reliability, with a FIT failure rate of <0.10 in more than 85 billion hours of field applications.