In power semiconductors, size matters.
Small is beautiful.
The smaller the device, the greater the performance.
1. Low switching losses
2. High switching frequency
3. High energy density
4. Lightweight and portable
Vertical GaN™ is 95% smaller than silicon.
Low capacitance.
Capacitance is directly related to the volume of the device. The smaller the device, the lower the capacitance. The lower the capacitance, the greater the switching frequency.
Low switching losses
means big energy savings.
Lower the capacitance and charge, and the switching losses decrease.
Vertical GaN™ delivers 67%1 lower switching losses than Si MOSFET in most typical applications, including solar microinverters.
High switching frequency
equals superior performance.
Vertical GaN™’s high switching frequency enables more precise waveform generation for improved performance.
For example, Vertical GaN™ enhances sinusoidal waveforms and improves the AC system power factor while reducing harmonic distortion.
High energy density
enables more revenue.
For applications where space is at a premium—like data centers—a Vertical GaN™ enabled power supply delivers valuable energy density.
High energy density means more computing power and storage in the same space, and more revenue and profit for data center operators.
Vertical GaN™ systems are small, lightweight and portable.
From mobile phones to laptop computers, electronic devices are getting smaller and more portable.
With Vertical GaN™, the power supply system can be small, lightweight, and portable too.
To understand how we make Vertical GaN™ so small,
we need to dive down to the atomic level.
Semiconductor electrons
must cross a bridge to
conduct electricity.
Imagine that in order to conduct electricity, the electrons in an atom need to cross a bridge.
When a material is an insulator, the bridge spans a great distance – it’s very wide and the electrons cannot cross it. When a material is a conductor, there’s no bridge. When a material is a semiconductor, the bridge is just the right size and electrons can cross it.
The bridge is called the
Electronic Bandgap and
its size is critical.
The bridge is called the Electronic Bandgap. The size of the Electronic Bandgap is an inherent property of a material.
Semiconductors have an Electronic Bandgap that can be crossed only under certain conditions. Superior semiconductors have a wide Electronic Bandgap.
Electronic Bandgap in Materials
Superior semiconductors have a wide Electronic Bandgap and are called Wide Bandgap materials.
GaN is inherently better.
Wide Bandgap materials have inherently superior semiconductor properties. GaN has the widest bandgap of any commercially utilizable material.
GaN's Wide Bandgap gives it unique properties.
1. High critical electric field
2. Low resistance
3. High breakdown voltage
High critical electric field.
GaN’s high critical electric field means that even a tiny amount of material has low resistance to current and can withstand high voltage.
High critical electric field is why Vertical GaN™ is 95% smaller than silicon.
Low on resistance.
Materials with a low on resistance allow the easy movement of electric current.
A unique patented design creates an ultra thin device and gives Vertical GaN™ its low resistance.
High breakdown voltage.
GaN has an extremely high breakdown voltage, which means it only takes a tiny amount of Vertical GaN™ to be able to withstand extremely high voltages. High breakdown voltage is one of the key factors that enables Vertical GaN™ to power the most demanding applications, like high speed trains.
GaN's inherent atomic properties make
Vertical GaN™ the perfect semiconductor.
Ideal for any application.
High switching frequency and high breakdown voltage enable Vertical GaN™ to meet the needs of almost any application.
Superior energy density.
Vertical GaN™ has 1000 times the energy density of Si, and 3 times the energy density of SiC, as shown by the Baliga Figure of Merit (which relates the specific on state resistance and breakdown voltage for a given material).
Superior total performance.
Vertical GaN™ devices are small and thin, with high energy density. They can withstand high voltage and temperature and perform with high switching frequency under the most extreme conditions.
Vertical GaN™ technology creates the perfect device.
Mismatched substrate devices are large and costly.
Devices created on mismatched substrates are, by nature, lateral devices, resulting in increased size and cost.
GaN-on-GaN is the solution.
With GaN-on-GaN, there are no mismatched substrates – and none of the issues associated with this type of construction.
Vertical GaN™’s simple design and semiconductor process maximizes the benefits of GaN.
Vertical design is simple and scalable.
Vertical GaN™ uses conventional p-n junctions in a vertical, three dimensional design.
Devices can be reliably scaled for higher current by increasing device area, and scaled for higher voltage by increasing device height.
Vertical GaN™ devices are inherently reliable.
Vertical GaN™ devices meet or beat JEDEC, the industry standard, with avalanche capability and resilience to unexpected voltage disturbances.
Devices are self-healing and circuits often don’t require external voltage clamping components.
1 Switching losses = P = ½ Coss VDS2𝑓sw + QgVGS 𝑓sw
Indicative Vertical GaN™ switching losses = ½ ∙ 12pf ∙ 400V2 ∙ 1MHz + 16.9nC ∙ 3.3V ∙ 1MHz
Vertical GaN™ switching losses = 1.01577
Indicative Si MOSFET switching losses = ½ ∙ 33pf ∙ 400V2 ∙ 1MHz + 45nC ∙ 10V ∙ 1MHz
Si MOSFET switching losses = 3.09
P= switching loss; Coss = FET output capacitance; 𝑓sw = switching frequency; VDS = Voltage drain to source; Q = total gate charge; VGS = Voltage gate to source