eGaN® FET Advantages in 48 V – 12 V Power Conversion
With the power architecture transition from a 12 V to a 48 V rack in modern data centers [1] there is an increased interest in improving 48 V power conversion efficiency and power density. In this context, DC-DC converters designed using eGaN FETs provide a high efficiency and high density solution. Additionally, with the advent of 48 V power systems in mild hybrid, hybrid and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, GaN transistors can provide a reduction in size, weight and BOM cost [2]. In this application note, we will demonstrate how system optimization for a 48 V – 12 V non-isolated, fully regulated, intermediate bus converter (IBC) can achieve higher power density and efficiency with eGaN FETs. We will also take a detailed look at an eGaN FET based multilevel topology that can further maximize the benefit of using eGaN FETs over conventional silicon solutions.
For higher performance in 48 V applications [1,3-4], there have been many different topological approaches ranging from hard-switching [5-8] to highly resonant [9-12], fully regulated to unregulated, and fully isolated to non-isolated. A plot of efficiency performance vs density for the different approaches with an output voltage of 12 V are shown in figure 1. In general, resonant and soft-switching converters provide the highest efficiency and power density but have the least flexibility with regard to regulation and input voltage variation. With the significant reduction in board space occupied by the smaller GaN transistors, topologies that require a greater number of active devices as a tradeoff for reduced passive size also become attractive as passive components are the main barrier to increased power density. Switched capacitor circuits are good examples of topologies that can effectively reduce or eliminate passive components [13-19]. Following along the same lines, switched resonant tank converters have also become popular [20,21].
Conclusions：
This application note establishes eGaN FETs as a faster, more efficient and compact semiconductor for fast growing portfolio of48 V applications, most notably data center power delivery and automotive. These applications demand very high performance and power densities. We have analyzed the advantages of using an eGaN FET, a superior semiconductor compared to conventional silicon, in order to achieve superior electrical performance. Additionally, we have optimized the inductor selection process for the typical48 V – 12 V power conversion system, and shown that using eGaN FETs leads to more compact and efficient designs. The fully regulated multiphase buck prototype (EP C9130) and the size optimized buck prototype (EPC9205) have shown a combination of high efficiency (~96%) and high power density (>1000 W/in³) is achievable and easily surpass silicon-based alternatives. This is further enhanced when using multilevel topologies, which offer efficiencies approaching 97% and power densities approaching 2000 W/in³.
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IHLP-5050EZ-01 、 EPC2045 、 IHLP-4040DZ-01 、 EPC9205 、 EPC2015C 、 EPC9130 、 EBDW025A0B 、 E54SJ12040 、 PI3546-00-LGIZ 、 BCM48Bx120y300A00 |
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Application note & Design Guide |
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Please see the document for details |
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English Chinese Chinese and English Japanese |
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2019/05/05 |
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AN026 |
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1.2 MB |
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