Design tools support engineers to develop GaN-based power system designs
A suite of tools dedicated to GaN-based designs has been released by Efficient Power Conversion (EPC). The GaN Power Bench tools assist engineers in getting optimal performance from their GaN-based designs, says the company.
EPC advocates the use of eGaN FETs and ICs in any power conversion topology the opportunity to “achieve significant performance enhancements compared with silicon devices”. The suite of design tools can help designers extract the optimal performance out of GaN-based designs.
The GaN FET selection tool for buck converters calculator uses estimation and calculation for a hard-switched buck converter. Designers can input specific design parameters to receive a selection of devices ranked by power dissipation to determine possible parameter trade offs. The selection tool can help a designer find the best GaN FETs to fit specific power system design needs. EPC confirmed that additional topologies will be added in the future.
Also included in the GaN Power Bench tool suite is the GaN FET thermal calculator, which provides quick estimates for the thermal performance parameters of PCB-mounted GaN devices subject to both board-side cooling through forced convection and back cooling via a heat spreader and heatsink. This thermal calculator accounts for the PCB construction (size, stack-up and via density), die sizes, power losses, thermal interface materials (TIM) and heatsink.
Finally, there is the Cross Reference Search tool. This provides instant access to replacements for many silicon-based power management devices with cross-referenced eGaN FETs. It allows the designer to compare parametric differences without opening datasheets to identify the optimal eGaN FET to increase design efficiency. The designer only needs to enter a competitor’s part number to find a suggested GaN device replacement
