Infineon CoolGaN BDS 650 V G5, GaN switch has tremendous potential for a variety of applications
Infineon Technologies is introducing the CoolGaN Bidirectional Switch (BDS) 650 V G5, a gallium nitride (GaN) switch that can actively block voltage and current in both directions.
It has a common-drain architecture and a double-gate structure, and it uses Infineon’s robust gate injection transistor (GIT) technology to provide a monolithic bidirectional switch enabled by CoolGaN technology.
The device is a highly efficient substitute for the usual back-to-back configurations commonly found in converters.
The bidirectional CoolGaN switch provides numerous significant advantages to power conversion systems.
The integration of two switches in a single device simplifies the design of cycloconverter topologies, allowing for single-stage power conversion and eliminating the need for numerous conversion stages.
This results in more efficiency, greater dependability, and a more compact design. BDS-based microinverters also have higher power density and fewer components, simplifying manufacturing and lowering costs.
Furthermore, the device may perform sophisticated grid functions like reactive power adjustment and bidirectional operation.
As a result, Infineon CoolGaN BDS 650 V G5, GaN switch has tremendous potential for a variety of applications, including:
Microinverters: The CoolGaN bidirectional switch enables simpler and more efficient microinverter designs, reducing both size and cost. This makes microinverters more attractive for residential and commercial solar installations.
Energy Storage Systems (ESS): In ESS applications such as battery chargers and dischargers, the switch allows for more efficient and reliable energy storage and release.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging: In EV charging systems, the BDS switch supports faster, more efficient charging while also enabling vehicle-to-grid (V2G) functionality, where energy stored in the vehicle battery can be fed back into the grid.
Motor control: The CoolGaN BDS is ideal for use in Current Source Inverters (CSI) for industrial motor drives.
Compared to traditional Voltage Source Inverters (VSI), CSIs offer benefits such as:
- Producing a sinusoidal output voltage, which supports longer cable runs, reduced losses, and improved fault tolerance.
- Replacing the DC-link capacitor with an inductor, improving high-temperature performance and short-circuit protection.
- Higher efficiency at partial loads, lower EMI, inherent buck-boost capability for voltage variation, and scalability for parallel operation.
These features make CSIs a more robust and efficient alternative for industrial motor applications.
AI data centers: In AI server power supplies, bidirectional switches like CoolGaN support higher switching frequencies and power density in architectures such as Vienna rectifiers and H4 PFCs. A single CoolGaN BDS can replace two conventional switches, reducing component count, cost, size, and overall power losses.
Availability
The CoolGaN Bidirectional Switch (BDS) 650 V G5 is available for ordering now as well as samples of the 110 m? product.
More information is available here.
