Faster, Higher, Stronger – Efficient Energy Conversion with GaN Slides

ABSTRACT Efficient conversion of energy is one of the megatrends, enabled by advanced semiconductors and microelectronics. As a wide-band gap material, GaN (gallium nitride) offers a huge potential to reduce the overall power electronics system size and cost. GaN technology is faster, smaller, more efficient than silicon power MOSFETs. Dedicated control circuits enable to leverage the potential of GaN power switches with a minimum of parasitic effects. This webinar gives an introduction into circuit and system design aspects related to GaN power transistors with a particular focus on gate drivers. Small solutions are achieved by increasing the switching frequency as it scales down passive components. The concept of high-voltage charge and energy storing enables highly integrated gate driver designs with a minimum of external components. Multi-level gate drivers increase the robustness under extremely fast switching transitions up to 500V/ns. Concepts for common-mode transient immunity (CMTI) are discussed.

BIO
Bernhard Wicht has 20+ years of experience in analog and smart power IC design. He received the Dipl. Ing. degree in electrical engineering from University of Technology Dresden, Germany, in 1996 and the Ph.D. degree from University of Technology Munich, Germany, in 2002. Between 2003 and 2010, he was with Texas Instruments, Freising, responsible for the design of automotive power management ICs. In September 2010, he became a full professor for integrated circuit design and a member of the Robert Bosch Center for Power Electronics at Reutlingen University, Germany. Since April 2017, he has been heading the Chair for Mixed-Signal IC Design at Leibniz University Hannover, Germany. His research interest includes IC design with focus on power management, gate drivers and high-voltage. Dr. Wicht was co-recipient of the 2015 ESSCIRC Best Paper Award. He invented seventeen patents with several more pending. In 2018, he received the faculty award for excellent teaching at his university. He currently serves as a member of the Technical Program Committees of ESSCIRC and ISSCC.