Power Integrations develops 1700 V GaN switch for multi-output applications

Power Integrations has unveiled the 1700 V InnoMux-2, a gallium nitride (GaN) switch designed for high-voltage power semiconductors. The technology integrates into the company’s InnoMux-2 power supply IC family, engineered for multi-output power supplies operating from high-voltage DC sources.

Andy Smith, Director of Training at Power Integrations, explained, “The new device is fabricated using our PowiGaN™ technology. It’s a proprietary process from PI that allows us to do very efficient power conversion. We’re marrying it with our InnoMux-2 technology, which is the ability to deliver multiple outputs with a single-stage converter both efficiently and accurately.”

The solution combines the 1700 V GaN switch with multi-output regulation, FluxLink digital isolation technology, and secondary-side zero voltage switching. During testing, the switch demonstrated consistent efficiency across voltage ranges. “We took one board and swapped the power IC between them… and look at that, the efficiency is pretty close to identical, which is astounding,” Smith noted.

Operating with 1000 VDC nominal input voltage in a flyback configuration, the 1700 V InnoMux-2 IC achieves over 90 percent efficiency for one to three supply voltages. Each output maintains one percent accuracy regulation, eliminating post regulators and boosting system efficiency by approximately ten percent. The device serves as an alternative to silicon carbide (SiC) transistors in applications including automotive chargers, solar inverters, three-phase meters, and industrial power systems.

“We are able to build a 1700 V GaN transistor. Nobody else is, and the reason for that is the proprietary technology we use for our GaN,” Smith stated. He added that “GaN transistors are somewhere approaching the cost of silicon to manufacture. In fact, in the long term, GaN and silicon prices will probably converge.”

Market prospects appear strong, with Yole Group’s Activity Manager Ezgi Dogmus projecting the power GaN device market to reach $2 billion by the decade’s end.

Smith highlighted the metering market opportunity: “Metering hits at that high voltage all day long. They have shorter design cycles than typically would be the case for an industrial application,” adding that “when they roll out energy meters, they tend to roll them out in large quantities, 20, 100,000 at a time.”

The InnoMux-2 with 1700V GaN technology is available at $4.90 in 10,000-unit quantities. A reference design (RDR-1053) for a 60 W dual-output power supply demonstrates the technology’s capabilities.

This advancement in power conversion technology offers new possibilities for high-voltage applications, combining efficiency with cost-effectiveness. The technology positions Power Integrations to address evolving energy efficiency requirements in power conversion applications.