GaN: Pushing the limits of power density & efficiency
Design faster, cooler systems with less energy and a smaller footprint
What is gallium nitride (GaN)?
Gallium nitride (GaN) is a wide bandgap semiconductor that enables higher power density and more efficiency than traditional silicon metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) and insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). GaN processes power more efficiently than silicon-only solutions, reducing power loss by 80% in power converters and minimizing the need for added cooling components. By packing more power into smaller spaces, GaN lets you design smaller, lighter systems.
3 reasons GaN is changing power management
Gallium nitride is replacing silicon in a growing list of applications that require greater power density and energy efficiency.
Advantages of our GaN technology
Faster switching speed than discrete GaN FETs
Our GaN FETs with integrated drivers can reach switching speeds of 150 V/ns. These switching speeds, combined with a low-inductance package, reduce losses, enable clean switching and minimize ringing.
Smaller magnetics, higher power density
Enabled by faster switching speeds, our GaN devices can help you achieve switching frequencies over 500 kHz, which results in up to 60% smaller magnetics, enhanced performance and lower system cost.
Built for reliability
Our GaN devices are designed to keep high-voltage systems safe, thanks to a proprietary GaN-on-Si process, more than 40 million hours of reliability testing and protection features.
Dedicated design tools and resources
Shorten your time to market with our GaN design resources, including power loss calculators, PLECS models for circuit simulation and evaluation boards for testing and operation in larger systems.
The next revolution in power electronics is here
Revolutionize your high-voltage system with TI GaN. Watch how our GaN technology enables engineers to reduce time-to-market for high-voltage power conversion designs, while decreasing system cost and environmental impact.
Discover featured applications
Reach 80 Plus® Titanium standards with 96.5% total energy efficiency and over 100-W/in^3 power density with our GaN technology
Design telecom and server systems that support storage, cloud-based applications, central computing power and more using our GaN devices. To help meet your design requirements for energy efficiency, our designs can reach 80® Plus Titanium standards and enable power-factor correction (PFC) efficiencies over 99%.
Benefits
- >99% efficiency enabled by GaN in a totem-pole bridgeless PFC topology
- Switching frequencies >500 kHz in isolated DC/DC converters, resulting in decreased magnetics
- Integrated gate drivers reduce parasitic losses and make system-level design easier
Featured resources
- PMP23069 – 3-kW, 180-W/in3 single-phase totem-pole bridgeless PFC reference design with 16-A max input
- PMP23126 – 3-kW phase-shifted full bridge with active clamp reference design with > 270-W/in3 power density
- PMP40988 – Variable-frequency, ZVS, 5-kW, GaN-based, two-phase totem-pole PFC reference design
- LMG3422R030 – 600-V 30-mΩ GaN FET with integrated driver, protection and temperature reporting
- LMG3422R050 – 600-V 50-mΩ GaN FET with integrated driver, protection and temperature reporting
- LMG3411R150 – 600-V 150-mΩ GaN with integrated driver and cycle-by-cycle overcurrent protection
Achieve beyond 1.2-kW/L power density in bidirectional AC/DC power conversion systems with our GaN technology
Develop systems powered by solar and wind energy with our GaN devices, which help you design smaller, more efficient AC/DC inverters and rectifiers and DC/DC inverters. With GaN-enabled bidirectional DC/DC conversion, you can integrate energy storage systems into solar inverters, reducing energy dependency on the grid.
Benefits
- 3x higher power density (>1.2 kW/L) and lower weight than existing AC/DC and DC/DC converters.
- The fast-switching properties of GaN at 140 kHz increase 20% higher power density over SiC FETs
- System cost parity because of lower-cost magnetics versus 2-level SiC topology
Featured resources
- TIDA-010210 – 11-kW, bidirectional, three-phase ANPC based on GaN reference design
- LMG3422R030 – 600-V 30-mΩ GaN FET with integrated driver, protection and temperature reporting
- LMG3522R030-Q1 – Automotive 650-V 30-mΩ GaN FET with integrated driver, protection and temperature reporting
- LMG3422R050 – 600-V 50-mΩ GaN FET with integrated driver, protection and temperature reporting
Enable higher channel density and reduced AC/DC converter size in battery tester systems with our GaN technology
Decrease the size of AC/DC power supplies with our GaN FETs with integrated gate drivers. Our GaN devices switch at a higher frequency than MOSFETS and SiC FETs, drastically improving the tester channel density of the test equipment and enabling faster power-supply transient response time.
Benefits
- >99% efficiency enabled by GaN in a totem-pole bridgeless PFC topology
- >200-kHz switching frequency in the DC/DC stage, enabling faster charge-to-discharge transition within 1 ms
- Integrated drivers reduce parasitic losses, enabling easier system-level design
Featured resources
- TIDM-02008 – Bidirectional high density GaN CCM totem pole PFC using C2000™ MCU
- PMP40690 – 4-kW interleaved CCM totem pole bridgeless PFC reference design using C2000™ MCU and GaN
- LMG3422R050 – 600-V 50-mΩ GaN FET with integrated driver, protection and temperature reporting
- LMG3410R070 – 600-V 70mΩ GaN with integrated driver and protection
Enable high power density in electric vehicles with our GaN technology
The next generation of single-phase AC, 400-V on-board chargers (OBCs) and high-to-low-voltage DC/DC converters in hybrid-electric (HEV) and electric vehicles (EV) are using GaN power devices to switch at higher frequencies and reduce the size of magnetics, translating to higher power density compared to silicon and SiC-based OBCs.
Benefits
- 3.8-kW/L power density, which means more power than SiC at the same volume
- >500-kHz switching frequency for CLLLC and 120-kHz for PFC
- 96.5% combined system-level efficiency
- Integrated gate driver simplifies system-level design
Featured resources
- LMG3522R030-Q1 – Automotive 650-V 30-mΩ GaN FET with integrated driver, protection and temperature reporting
- GaN-Based, 6.6-kW, Bidirectional, Onboard Charger Reference Design – Test report
- Thermal Design and Performance of Top-Side Cooled QFN 12x12 Package – Application note
- POWERSTAGE-DESIGNER – Power Stage Designer™ software tool of most commonly used switchmode power supplies
Realize higher power efficiency and a smaller form factor in PFC power stages for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) and appliances with our GaN devices
Power-factor correction (PFC) power stages are necessary for heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems to meet new energy standards, like EN6055. GaN power stages, when compared with insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), have higher efficiency, which reduces magnetics, heat-sink size and total system cost.
Benefits
- High switching frequency up to 60 kHz reduces the size of magnetics
- Reduced switching losses result in power stages with efficiency >99%
- Small size and the ability to be cooled naturally reduce design size and cost
Featured resources
- TIDA-010203 – 4-kW single-phase totem pole PFC reference design with C2000 and GaN
- TIDA-010236 – 4-kW GaN totem-pole PFC reference design for appliances
- LMG3422R030 – 600-V 30-mΩ GaN FET with integrated driver, protection and temperature reporting
- LMG3422R050 – 600-V 50-mΩ GaN FET with integrated driver, protection and temperature reporting
Customer success stories
See what our customers have to say about TI’s GaN technology and how it's helping them achieve smaller, more reliable and more efficient high-voltage designs.
Chicony Power
" GaN brings revolutionary changes to power supply designs. Its high-frequency switching characteristics and lower conduction impedance are the determining factors for improving the efficiency and reducing the size of power products, leading to significant reduction in energy consumption and materials used in power products and bringing new opportunities for Chicony Power's green design concepts."
- Yang Wang | Chicony Power, VP R&D
LITEON
"In the development of new generation high-end server power supplies, LITEON responded to the challenge with the best R&D team and the most advanced material technologies. LITEON has achieved an advanced lead and met the energy-saving requirements of data centers by utilizing TI’s GaN solutions."
- Todd Lee | LITEON Technology, RD Senior Director, Cloud Infrastructure Platform & Solution
Delta
"The application of GaN converges with Delta (Electronics') core expertise in high-efficiency power electronics to maximize power density, without giving up efficiency performance. At the end of the day, the GaN technology opens the door to a new world of products that have not been possible until now."
- Kai Dong | Delta Electronics, R&D Manager of Custom Design Business Unit
Discover featured products
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Design with GaN devices
Our portfolio of GaN FETs with integrated driver and protection can help you achieve high power density with lifetime reliability and lower system cost than competing solutions.
Complete your GaN design
Whether you want to boost efficiency, improve reliability or lower electromagnetic interference, our portfolio of companion devices is designed to maximize the performance of your GaN system.
Continue your high-voltage design
Designing efficient high-voltage power conversion systems is just one of many challenges of working on high-voltage applications. Head to our high-voltage technology page to learn more about our power conversion, current and voltage sensing, isolation, and real-time control technologies and discover the benefits of choosing TI for your next high-voltage design.