TI adds small and fast drivers to GaN power portfolio
Two field effect transistor (FET) drivers have been added to the Texas Instruments (TI) GaN power portfolio. They are intended to create more efficient, higher-performing designs in speed-critical applications such as light detection and ranging (LIDAR) and 5G radio-frequency (RF) envelope tracking, explains TI.
The LMG1020 and LMG1210 can deliver switching frequencies of 50MHz while improving efficiency and enabling sizes five times smaller than previously possible with silicon MOSFETs.
With a minimum pulse width of one nano second, the LMG1020 60-MHz low-side GaN driver enables high-accuracy lasers in industrial LIDAR applications. The small wafer-level chip-scale (WCSP) package measures 0.8 x 1.2mm to helps minimise gate-loop parasitics and losses.
The LMG1210 is a 50MHz half-bridge driver designed for GaN FETs up to 200V. The adjustable dead time control feature improves efficiency by as much as five per cent in power conversion applications, such as high-speed DC/DC converters, motor drives and Class-D audio amplifiers. To achieve high system-noise immunity, it has the industry’s highest common-mode transient immunity (CMTI) of more than 300V/nano seconds, says TI.
Propagation delay is 2.5 nano seconds for the LMG1020 and 10 nano seconds for the LMG1210. These rates enable power solutions that are 50 times faster than with silicon drivers, according to TI. Additionally, the LMG1020 is capable of delivering high-power one nano second laser pulses, enabling long-range LIDAR applications.
For high-efficiency designs, the LMG1210 offers a low switch-node capacitance of one pico Farad and user-adjustable dead time control to improve efficiency by as much as five per cent.
The integrated dead time control in the LMG1210 reduces component count and raises efficiency, enabling designers to reduce power supply size by as much as 80 per cent, says TI. The increased power density of the LMG1020 is claimed to enable the highest resolution in LIDAR in the industry’s smallest package.
The LMG1020 and LMG1210 are the latest additions to the industry’s largest GaN power portfolio, ranging from 200V drivers to 80 and 600V power stages.
Evaluation modules, the LMG1020EVM-006 and LMG1210EVM-012 and SPICE models are available. There is also the Nanosecond Laser Driver Reference Design for LIDAR and the Multi-megahertz GaN Power Stage Reference Design for High-Speed DC/DC Converters.
