Evaluation of low-and high-voltage GaN transistors in soft-switching DC-DC converter

This paper focuses on performance benchmarking of Gallium Nitride based transistors operating in a soft-switching DC-DC converter. Two prototype converters rated for 300 W were assembled to compare the performance of Si MOSFETs and GaN HEMTs: 100 V devices were used in the current-fed input side and 650 V ones in the output voltage-fed side. The experimental results confirm superior switching performance, negligible reverse recovery charge and low driving losses of GaN devices, especially advantageous at switching frequencies above 100 kHz.