An Overview of GaN Technology for Power Conversion Applications

The growing demand for electric vehicles, renewable energy, and portable electronics has increased the prevalence of power conversion systems (PCS), as exemplified by the architecture of electric automobiles. Research and development in semiconductor technologies aim to achieve reduced system size and higher efficiency in these power conversion applications (PCA). Gallium Nitride (GaN) Wide Bandgap (WBG) technology has proven to be a competitive choice for these requirements. This paper presents how different milestones of this technology have benefited the field. For instance, using GaN technology can increase the delivered power by 37.5% while achieving an efficiency of 99% in the case of a synchronous boost converter. Additionally, it has enabled new converter topologies with a power density of 123.3 kW/L and an efficiency of 90.9%.