Comparative analysis of power density in Si MOSFET and GaN HEMT based flyback converters

Gallium Nitride (GaN) based power devices have the potential to achieve higher efficiency and higher switching frequency than those possible with Silicon (Si) power devices. In literature, GaN based converters are claimed to offer higher power density. However, a detailed comparative analysis on the power density of GaN and Si based low power dc-dc flyback converter is not reported. In this paper, comparison of a 100 W, dc-dc flyback converter based on GaN and Si is presented. Both the converters are designed to ensure an efficiency of 80%. Based on this, the switching frequency for both the converters are determined. The analysis shows that the GaN based converter can be operated at approximately ten times the switching frequency of Si-based converter. This leads to a reduction in the area product of the flyback transformer required in GaN based converter. It is found that the volume of the flyback transformer can be reduced by a factor of six for a GaN based converter as compared to a Si based converter. Further, it is observed that the value of output capacitance used in the GaN based converter reduces by a factor of ten as compared to the Si based converter, implying a reduction in the size of the output capacitors. Therefore, a significant improvement in the power density of the GaN based converter as compared to the Si based converter is seen.