Performance and robustness of first generation 600-V GaN-on-Si power transistors

Industry's first 600-V GaN-on-Si switching transistors have passed qualification based on Jedec standards and entered commercial market. Although far from being optimized, these 1st generation GaN devices exhibit properties superior to matured Si counterparts including lower on-resistance, much reduced input/output charges, and much higher switching speed. Application examples show significant loss reduction at high frequencies and markedly simplified hard-switched bridge circuits, offering a new means for designing more compact and efficient power systems. Extended SOA tests revealed a large margin in blocking voltage even at 175 °C, ability to deliver 99% peak efficiency at 187°C case temperature and high power operation at 215°C junction temperature with a very-low degradation rate.