Major Challenges of Designing Highly-efficient GaN-based Power Electronic Converters

Abstract: (This webinar is sponsored by PELS TC 1.) A gallium nitride (GaN) field effect transistor (FET) can provide superior performance over a Si-MOSFET due to its better figure of merit (FoM), zero reverse recovery loss, and low parasitic capacitances. However, power electronics engineers often face difficulty in designing highly-efficient GaN-based converters because of GaN FETs’ low gate threshold voltage and low maximum gate voltage, and high reverse conduction loss. This presentation will discuss the challenges associated with these properties and present techniques that have been reported to address them.