Industry’s first space-grade 200V GaN FET gate driver from TI
Texas Instruments has announced a new family of radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant half-bridge gallium nitride (GaN) field-effect transistor (FET) gate drivers. This family of gate drivers includes the industry’s first space-grade GaN FET driver that supports up to 200V operation. The devices are available in pin-to-pin compatible ceramic and plastic packaging options and support three voltage levels.
Satellite systems are growing increasingly complex to meet the demand for more on-orbit processing and data transmission, higher-resolution imaging, and more precise sensing. To improve mission capabilities, engineers strive to maximize electrical power system efficiency. TI’s new gate drivers are designed to accurately drive GaN FETs with fast rise and fall times, improving power-supply size and density. This allows a satellite to more effectively use the power generated by its solar cells to perform mission functions.
“Satellites perform critical missions, from providing global internet coverage to monitoring climate and shipping activity, enabling humans to better understand and navigate the world,” said Javier Valle, product line manager, Space Power Products at TI. “Our new portfolio enables satellites in low, medium and geosynchronous earth orbits to operate in the harsh environment of space for an extended period of time, all while maintaining high levels of power efficiency.”
Production quantities of the TPS7H6003-SP, TPS7H6013-SP, TPS7H6023-SP and TPS7H6005-SEP are available now on TI.com. Preproduction quantities of the TPS7H6015-SEP and TPS7H6025-SEP are also available, with the TPS7H6005-SP, TPS7H6015-SP and TPS7H6025-SP available for purchase by June 2025. Additionally, development resources include evaluation modules for all nine devices, as well as reference designs and simulation models.
