Planar GaN Power Integration – The World is Flat

GaN power IC’s are expected to help unlock the full potential of GaN power electronics, especially in terms of promoting the high-frequency power switching applications. This paper first discusses a GaN power integration technology platform based on commercially available p-GaN gate HEMT technology. An integrated gate driver is presented as an example of GaN power IC with enhanced performance, in which a bootstrap unit is adopted to realize rail-to-rail output voltage and fast switching speed. To deal with GaN-specific design issues such as the unique dynamic VTH, a SPICE model of p-GaN gate HEMT is developed to improve design accuracy. Future prospects for GaN power integration are discussed by extending the integration’s landscape to multi-functional GaN power devices, GaN CMOS technology, and GaN/SiC hybrid power IC’s.