TI Launches Compact Power Devices Ahead of APEC 2024
The company is demonstrating the new GaN power stages and DC-DC modules at APEC.
Leading up to the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC) 2024, Texas Instruments announced two new power ICs that target next-generation industrial and automotive applications.
From automotive to server farms, the newest TI power devices allow power converters and isolation circuits to be shrunk to accommodate new applications.
TI aims to address the challenges of scaling power supplies with its LMG2100/3100 GaN FETs and UCC33420-Q1 DC-DC power module.
To hear inside insights about these new chips, we spoke to TI's product manager of GaN products, David Snook, and the product line manager of high-voltage controllers, Dr. Raji Mukhopadhyay.
TI Unveils Two Mid-Voltage GaN Power Stages
TI's new LMG2100/3100 GaN FETs leverage the intrinsic benefits of GaN to boost both the electrical and thermal efficiency of power converters.
The 100-V GaN power stages come in half-bridge and single-FET configurations, with voltage/current support of 80 V, 35 A and 90 V, 97 A, respectively. The associated on-resistances are also low at 4.4 mΩ and 1.7 mΩ. This allows designers to considerably shrink the size and power losses of their products thanks to the 1.5 kW/in3 volumetric power density. In addition, TI reports a system efficiency of 98% or higher, minimizing switching losses.
“Designers can reduce power supply solution sizes for mid-voltage power applications and achieve an industry-leading density of over 1.5 kW/in3—all enabled by GaN technology's low switching losses and higher switching frequencies,” Snook said.
The new GaN FETs can be used in various applications, including half-bridge circuits.
TI also designed the LMG2100/3100 to deliver higher thermal efficiency with a dual-side cooled package. This significantly reduces thermal resistance and, subsequently, the size of power circuits. This size reduction ultimately allows the chips to target a wide range of applications.
“The thermally-enhanced topside cool package combined with an extended bottom-side ground pad effectively enables dual-side cooling, which is new for the 100-V power space,” Snook said. “This allows much more efficient heat removal in systems from both sides of the board, leading to an 18x improved thermal resistance to the case compared to previously available packages.”
DC-DC Module Packs Power in a Small Package
In addition to the GaN power stages, TI has also announced the UCC33420-Q1 series of automotive DC-DC modules. To meet the stringent standards of automotive electronics, the compact DC-DC module offers a high output power of up to 1.5 W. Sized at only 4 mm × 5 mm, the device is designed to power multiple chips with a clean, regulated power signal.
“This is the first automotive-qualified 1.5-W isolated DC-DC module, and it's in the smallest package in the market,” Mukhopadhyay said. “That enables designers to meet
the demand for smaller, lighter, and less noisy automotive systems in applications such as traction inverters, onboard chargers, and battery management systems.”
In addition to the output power, the UCC33420 series also provides galvanic isolation up to 3 kVRMS using an on-chip transformer. This integration further shrinks the DC-DC solution by reducing the number of external components.
The size reduction of the UCC33420 series allows designers to incorporate power circuits in more applications that would have previously been too large.
A key value proposition of the UCC33420 series is its ability to shrink the size of power converter designs. Compared to discrete solutions, the UCC33420 enables an 89% reduction in solution size and a 75% height reduction, allowing power modules to be integrated into a wider variety of environments.
“We can achieve over eight times higher power density than discrete solutions to achieve the same output power level and the same isolation level,” Mukhopadhyay said.
Power-Dense Solutions for Industrial and Automotive Designs
TI will be demonstrating reference solutions using the LMG2100/3100 and UCC33420 devices at APEC 2024 at booth 1145. The company has also released reference designs of the LMG2100/3100 in microinverter and MPPT applications.
Microinverter block diagram. (Click image to enlarge)
“These GaN power stages are versatile products that are going to be suitable for use in all common power conversion topologies across a broad range of industrial and automotive applications, and we're excited to offer these to customers starting today,” Snook said.
“These are the two latest examples from TI of our unique approach toward power density,” Mukhopadhyay concluded. “We are enabling smaller footprints, improving our package's thermal performance, integrating a ton of features inside, and adopting innovative technologies so we can deliver higher power density and efficiency to power designers.”
