Growing pressure from society and increasing legislation for reduced CO2 emissions, is pushing industries from automotive to telecoms to invest in more efficient power conversion and increased electrification. Power Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology shows the greatest performance benefits, but it also brings a range of benefits to a whole range of power conversion applications, especially within electric vehicles.
Nexperia GaN devices also feature an exceptionally good, built-in, antiparallel diode that helps with the robust freewheeling conduction path. The cascode version offers significant freedom to make the gate structure design and have the same robustness expected by automotive customers. Source Drain Si Substrate Gate Dielectric 2DEG Channel Gate. Nexperia has announced a partnership with Ricardo to produce a technology demonstrator for an EV inverter based on gallium nitride (GaN) technology GaN is the preferred switch for these applications as GaN FETs lead to systems with greater efficiencies at lower costs with improved thermal performance and simpler switching topologies. Nexperia has announced a partnership with Ricardo to produce a technology demonstrator for an EV inverter based on gallium nitride (GaN) technology GaN is the preferred switch for these applications as GaN FETs lead to systems with greater efficiencies at lower costs with improved thermal performance and simpler switching topologies.
Electrification in the automotive sector is likely to be the biggest beneficiary of power GaN technology. Power losses in xEVs can impact range - the key issue for electric vehicles, so efficient power conversion is critical to the success of all-electric vehicles (xEVs). Furthermore, more efficient power conversion reduces the need for cooling systems to dissipate generated heat, reducing the vehicle’s weight and system complexity, and thus potentially increasing range. Beyond these areas, improving power conversion efficiency can deliver benefits in many other systems in the car including:
- AC/DC onboard charging
- DC/DC power conversion
- DC/AC inverters to drive traction motors
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For example, improving the efficiency of a 200 kW inverter from 95% efficiency to 99% efficiency reduces power loss in a full load from 10 kW to 2 kW, or about one-fifth. Not only is the loss 8 kW lower (which can be effective for useful traction power), but the reduced need for cooling can also help by reducing the cooling energy consumption and on the size and weight of the cooling system. This in turn, can lead to a longer operating range or the same range with a smaller battery.
More than just efficiency
Power GaN FETs overcome many of the limitations of existing technologies such as Si-based insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and Si super junction (SJ) solutions. Power GaN solutions are free from reverse recovery loss, offer very low switching cross-over losses and lower conduction losses. They also give the lowest source drain on-state resistance (Rdson) for higher voltages and a significantly better switching figure of merit.
Whether it is the AC/DC PFC stage, a DC/DC converter, or traction inverter, the basic building block for most topologies is a half-bridge. Hence, when GaN FETs are compared against Si FETs in a simple boost converter, the GaN FET shows its superior performance.
In Nexperia’s latest whitepaper “Power GaN technology: the need for efficient power conversion”, we take a quick look at some of the benefits that power conversion applications in both automotive, industrial and telecommunications gain from our 650 V GaN FET portfolio.
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Nexperia and United Automotive Electronic Systems Co., Ltd. Agree Comprehensive Partnership for Gallium Nitride
March 16, 2021
Nijmegen -- Program will address the technical requirements for the power systems in electric vehicles
Nexperia, the expert in essential semiconductors, has announced a comprehensive partnership covering gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductor devices with United Automotive Electronic Systems Co., Ltd. (UAES). The program will focus on power systems for EVs, with the aim to jointly develop automotive applications using GaN technology.
The electrification of cars, the increasing high power requirements of telecommunication equipment for 5G and the rise of Industry 4.0 require power conversion efficiencies for which GaN is expected to become the mainstream technology. These trends underpin the growing demand for power semiconductors in 2021 and beyond. UAES has already started using Nexperia GaN FETs in R&D and collaborative projects including vehicle-mounted chargers and high-voltage DC-to-DC converters for electric cars. Nexperia's GaN technology has extremely good figures of merit (RDS(on) x QGD) and reverse recovery charge (Qrr) metrics that support high switching frequencies and efficient power conversion. Nexperia produces GaN based on mature and reliable mass production techniques, largely in its own global production facilities, to manufacture products according to automotive AEC-Q101 standards.
UAES provides car manufacturers with advanced and comprehensive automotive powertrain and body control system solutions. It specializes in the development, production, and sales of gasoline engine management systems, transmission control systems, vehicle body electronics, and hybrid and electric drive control systems. Its five technology centers in China have world-class laboratories for entire vehicles, engines, automatic transmissions, and electric drive performance development. The advanced equipment effectively provides high-quality engineering services including system development, component development, and calibration for various Chinese car manufacturers.
Paul Zhang, SVP Sales & Marketing and General Manager, Nexperia, China comments: 'The power density and efficiency of silicon-based GaN field-effect transistors will play key roles in the electrification of cars. We recognize the broad offering, industry position, and customer basis that UAES has in the automotive industry and we believe that our intensified collaboration in GaN will help both companies to deliver more advanced and efficient EV power system solutions to our customers. Earlier this month, we announced an increase in global production and R&D investment to fully support new product development. We intend to expand our investments and jointly to create a laboratory to develop automotive GaN technology applications.'
A senior management spokesperson at UAES states: 'We are pleased to work with Nexperia on the development of innovative EV vehicle power system solutions based on GaN technology. Nexperia is a leading semiconductor supplier for automotive applications. This partnership will help us reduce the number of devices used, reduce costs, increase power density, and increase the reliability and effectiveness of the entire system.'
For more information on Nexperia GaN FETs, please visit: www.nexperia.com/gan-fets
Gan Fet
About Nexperia
Nexperia is a leading expert in the high-volume production of essential semiconductors, components that are required by every electronic design in the world. The company’s extensive portfolio includes diodes, bipolar transistors, ESD protection devices, MOSFETs, GaN FETs and analog & logic ICs. Headquartered in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, Nexperia annually ships more than 90 billion products, meeting automotive standards. These products are recognized as benchmarks in efficiency – in process, size, power and performance — with industry-leading small packages that save valuable energy and space.
With decades of experience in supplying to the world’s leading companies, Nexperia has over 12,000 employees across Asia, Europe and the US. Nexperia is a subsidiary of Wingtech Technology Co., Ltd. (600745.SS). The company has an extensive IP portfolio and has received IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001 certification.
Nexperia: Efficiency wins.
About United Automotive Electronic Systems Co., Ltd.
United Automotive Electronic Systems Co., Ltd. (UAES) was established in 1995 by Zhonglian Automotive Electronics Co., Ltd. and Robert Bosch GmbH as their joint venture in China. The company specializes in the development, production, and sales of gasoline engine management systems, transmission control systems, vehicle body electronics, and hybrid and electric drive control systems. In 2020, the company achieved a revenue of RMB 23.2 billion and had approximately 8,461 employees.
The company's head office is located in Pudong District, Shanghai. It has production sites in Shanghai, Wuxi, Xi'an, Wuhu, Liuzhou, and Taicang, and technology centers in Shanghai, Chongqing, Wuhu, Liuzhou and Suzhou. The company effectively integrates local advantages and world-leading technologies to provide domestic automobile manufacturers with high-quality products and services, and provide technical support for increasingly rigorous regulatory requirements.
With local R&D and production capacity, UAES is committed to providing customers with advanced and comprehensive automotive powertrain and body control system solutions. It also actively makes contributions to energy conservation and environmental protection.
For press information, please contact:
| Nexperia | Agency: BWW Communications |
Petra Beekmans, Head of Communications & Branding | Nick Foot, director |
Gallium Nitride Properties
| United Automotive Electronic Systems Co., Ltd. |
Phone: +86 21 6168 8560 |
Epc Gan Fet
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