New gate drivers for GaN FETs
Allegro doubles power density
Allegro's new "Power-Thru" family of isolated gate drivers for driving GaN FETs have a 50 percent smaller footprint compared to conventional gate drivers and offer a 40 percent increase in efficiency.
Allegro MicroSystems' proprietary AHV85110 power-thru gate driver gives engineers and designers access to new and efficient isolated high-power gate driver technologies that offer numerous system-level benefits. This gate driver combines traditionally separate components - the isolated gate driver and isolated power supply - into a single, compact and rugged package, enabling a factor of 2 increase in power density. The platform of minimizes EMI paths and simplifies integration, resulting in faster time-to-market, efficiency gains and cost savings in manufacturing.
This has been different in the past: wide bandgap silicon carbide and gallium nitride field-effect transistors offer significant efficiency benefits at the system level, but often present integration challenges for engineers. This is because a conventional gate driver implementation requires both an isolated gate driver and a separate isolated power supply. However, the interconnections between the driver, power source and FET often generate unwanted noise and create paths for electromagnetic interference (EMI) that degrade performance. Managing these effects can add complexity to the design, increasing both the schedule and cost, as well as the size and weight of the circuit.
"Our development team leveraged the technology of the Heyday Integrated Circuits acquisition to rapidly develop the first component in our new Power-Thru product line. This will help developers achieve their efficiency and power density goals in clean energy and electric mobility systems," said Vijay Mangtani, vice president and general manager of High-Voltage Power at Allegro MicroSystems. "This new series of patented, industry-first solutions enables engineers to design smaller, more efficient systems while shortening time-to-market and maximizing return on investment."
Compared to other solutions, Allegro's differentiated Power Thru technology enables engineers to:
- A more efficient delivery of more power at 50 percent of the design footprint (board savings).
- A reduction in bill of materials (BOM) and production costs.
- The elimination of bootstrap circuits and isolated power supplies while minimizing common mode capacitance. This reduces EMI filtering and improves overall efficiency.
- A reliable and scalable design process across different platforms without requiring a complete power module redesign when working with multiple GaN FET suppliers.
