Panasonic PGA26E19BA and PGA26C09DV GaN power transistors

To meet efficiency and power density needs in modern power supply design, many design engineers are looking to alternatives to traditional MOS technology — such as gallium nitride (GaN) technology — that can help save energy and reduce system size in a variety of industrial and consumer power switching systems.

Panasonic’s GaN solutions comprise power transistors, gate drivers and evaluation boards that engineers can use to reduce energy loss in a variety of power applications, including power supplies, solar power inverters, motor drives and electric vehicle (EV) devices. The products capitalise on a GaN compound on a silicon substrate with high breakdown voltage and low conduction resistance characteristics, which are said to enable higher-speed switching and easier miniaturisation than traditional silicon devices.

The PGA26E19BA GaN surface-mount (SMD) power transistor is an enhancement-mode, normally off power switch with 600 V blocking voltage. The PGA26C09DV GaN power transistor also provides 600 V blocking voltage and prevents current collapse, but in a TO-220 package. Both devices feature zero recovery loss and use Panasonic’s Gate Injection Transistor technology to achieve low on-state resistance. The technology also prevents current collapse — increased on-resistance during the application of high voltage — ensuring safe operation of the GaN device at high voltages.

Originally published here.