50W GaN converter is compact for consumer and industrial applications
Single switch topology, with current sensing and protection circuitry are integrated in the VIPerGaN50 converter. According to STMicroelectronics, it simplifies building single switch flyback converters up to 50W and integrates a 650V GaN power transistor for energy efficiency and miniaturisation.
The VIPerGaN50 is in a compact and low-cost 5.0 x 6.0mm package. The speed of the integrated GaN transistor allows a high switching frequency with a small and lightweight flyback transformer, said ST. Minimal additional external components are needed to design an advanced, high-efficiency switched mode power supply (SMPS), added the company.
Designers can leverage GaN wide-bandgap technology to meet increasingly stringent ecodesign codes that target global energy savings and net-zero carbon emissions. The converters are suitable for consumer and industrial applications such as power adapters, USB-PD chargers, and power supplies for home appliances, air conditioners, LED lighting equipment and smart meters.
The converter operates in multiple modes to maximise efficiency at all line and load conditions. At heavy load, quasi-resonant (QR) operation with zero voltage switching minimises turn-on losses and electromagnetic emissions. At reduced load, valley skipping limits switching losses and leverages ST’s proprietary valley lock to prevent audible noise. Frequency foldback with zero-voltage switching ensures the highest possible efficiency at light load, continued the company, with adaptive burst mode operation to minimise losses at very low load. Power management cuts standby power to below 30mW.
Built-in features include output over-voltage protection, brown-in and brown-out protection and input over-voltage protection. Input-voltage feedforward compensation is also provided, to minimise output peak-power variation, as well as embedded thermal shutdown, and frequency jittering to minimise EMI.
The VIPerGaN50 is in production now and available in a 5.0 x 6.0mm QFN package. It is in a free-sample programme and can be ordered online.
