New Industry Products

EPC Dev. Board Features Optimal Layout of Paralleled GaN FETs for Higher Currents

October 02, 2013 by Jeff Shepard

Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC) has introduced the EPC9017 half-bridge development board for high-current, high step-down voltage, buck intermediate bus converter (IBC) applications using eGaN FETs. In this application two low-side (synchronous rectifier) FETs are connected in parallel since they will be conducting for a much longer period compared to the single high-side (Control) FET. eGaN FETs have superior current sharing capability compared to silicon MOSFETs, making them more attractive for parallel operation. This development board expands upon EPC’s work on optimal layout based on ultra-low inductance packages.

The EPC9017 development board is a 100V maximum device voltage, 20A maximum output current, half-bridge with onboard gate drives, featuring the EPC2001 enhancement-mode (eGaN) field effect transistor (FET). The half-bridge configuration contains a single top-side device and two parallel bottom devices and is recommended for high-current, lower duty cycle applications.

The development board is 2” x 1.5” and contains all critical components and layout for optimal switching performance. There are also various probe points to facilitate simple waveform measurement and efficiency calculation. A Quick Start Guide is included with the EPC9017 development board for reference and ease of use. EPC9017 development boards are priced at $130 each and are available for immediate delivery from Digi-Key.