Infineon launches new generation of GaN power discretes with superior efficiency and power density

Infineon Technologies AG has announced the launch of a new family of high-voltage discretes, the CoolGaN Transistors 650 V G5, further strengthening its Gallium Nitride (GaN) portfolio. Target applications for this new product family range from consumer and industrial switched-mode power supply (SMPS) such as USB-C adapters and chargers, lighting, TV, data center, and telecom rectifiers to renewable energy and motor drives in home appliances.

The latest CoolGaN generation is designed as a drop-in replacement for the CoolGaN Transistors 600 V G1, enabling rapid redesign of existing platforms. The new devices provide improved figures of merit to ensure competitive switching performance in focus applications. Compared to key competitors and previous product families from Infineon, the CoolGaN Transistors 650 V G5 offer up to 50 percent lower energy stored in the output capacitance (E_oss), up to 60 percent improved drain-source charge (Q_oss) and up to 60 percent lower gate charge (Q_g). Combined, these features result in excellent efficiencies in both hard- and soft-switching applications. This leads to a significant reduction in power loss compared to traditional silicon technology, ranging from 20 to 60 percent depending on the specific use case.

These benefits allow the devices to operate at high frequencies with minimal power loss, resulting in superior power density. The CoolGaN Transitors 650 V G5 enable SMPS applications to be smaller and lighter or to increase the output power range in a given form factor.

The new high-voltage transistor product family offers a wide range of R_DS(on) package combinations. Ten R_DS(on) classes are available in various SMD packages, such as ThinPAK 5×6, DFN 8×8 , TOLL and TOLT. All products are manufactured on high-performance 8-inch production lines in Villach (Austria) and Kulim (Malaysia). In the future, CoolGaN will transition to 12-inch production. This will enable Infineon to further expand its CoolGaN capacity and ensure a robust supply chain in the GaN power market, which is expected to reach $2 billion by 2029, according to Yole Group.

A demo featuring the CoolGaN Transistors 650 V G5 will be showcased at electronica 2024 in Munich from November 12 to 15 (hall C3, booth 502).