Compact GaN Power ICs with Power HEMT, Gate Driver, Temperature Sensor, Current Sense-FET and Amplifier

Abstract

This work presents the design and characterization of modular and compact GaN power ICs with power HEMT, gate driver, temperature sensor, current sense-FET and amplifier. These GaN ICs give the user high flexibility and versatility due to the modular approach. With a circuit design where bond pads are placed over the active periphery circuits a low area requirement below 25% of the total chip area is achieved. The sense-FET of a 100 V GaN power IC was measured in a half-bridge configuration with external amplifier to readout the sense-FET up to 48 V, 3 A, 100 kHz in hard- and soft-switching operation. The current-voltage ratio is −0.38 V/A. The temperature coefficient of the temperature sensor is 0.0031/K and the amplifier has a peak gain of 44. Thus, these GaN ICs give a compact and versatile solution for power electronics.