By integrating these new low-voltage E-mode GaN discrete power transistors into high-voltage architectures, engineers can achieve those ultra-fast switching speeds.
As AI servers and industrial robotics demand increasingly massive amounts of power, the hardware industry is racing to build smaller, cooler, and more efficient power systems. To meet this demand, Renesas Electronics Corporation has expanded its gallium nitride (GaN) portfolio into the low-voltage arena, launching its first family of 100V enhancement-mode (E-mode) GaN discrete power transistors.
The new E-mode GaN discrete power transistors lineup, which includes the RTP100E005G1FL, RTP100E2P6G1FL, RTP100E1P8G1FL-DSC, and RTP100E1P2G1FL-DSC is aimed squarely at efficiency-critical applications like AI data centers, humanoid robots, factory automation, and solar microinverters.
The announcement comes at a pivotal time for infrastructure
Today’s data centers are rapidly transitioning to 800 VDC power distribution and 48V bus architectures. To keep up, power converters must evolve from switching at a few hundred kilohertz to megahertz-class speeds.
By integrating these new low-voltage E-mode GaN discrete power transistors into high-voltage architectures, engineers can achieve those ultra-fast switching speeds.
This allows them to shrink passive components, double the system’s power density, and significantly reduce cooling requirements.
Big Upgrades, Familiar Footprint
One of the biggest hurdles with adopting new semiconductor tech is the need to redesign existing hardware. Renesas bypassed this by giving the new E-mode GaN family a silicon-compatible footprint.
Packaged in standard MOSFET-compatible sizes with a wide RDS(on) range (5 m?-1.2 m?), these transistors can be dropped into older silicon-based layouts without requiring major PCB rework.
Under the hood, the performance gains are substantial. Renesas reports up to a 35% lower hard-switching figure-of-merit (FOM) and a 63% drop in soft-switching FOM compared to competing GaN devices.
Because the chips feature zero reverse recovery (Qrr = 0) and low total gate charge, they effectively slash switching losses by 40% to 70%. In real-world applications, this translates to a 1% to 3% efficiency bump over traditional silicon designs.
Tackling Thermal Management
Beyond raw performance, the new GaN family tackles a growing industry headache, thermal management. Available with bottom- and dual-side cooling configurations, the transistors naturally dissipate heat better than their predecessors.
By reducing the energy lost in each conversion cycle, systems require less active cooling.
Shrinking the fans, scaling down the magnetics, and reducing the overall board size doesn’t just lower the bill of materials (BOM) cost, it directly helps data centers and smart factories hit their increasingly strict sustainability and energy-efficiency targets.
Leadership Comment
“Customers adopting next-generation GaN technology for AI servers, robotics, industrial motor drives and renewable energy systems are looking for ways to deliver more efficient power conversion performance from increasingly compact systems,” said Akhil Nair, Senior Director, Low-Voltage GaN at Renesas. “Our low-voltage GaN family delivers the efficiency, switching performance and power density designers expect from GaN while making it significantly easier to transition from existing silicon MOSFET designs.”
Availability
The new low-voltage GaN power transistors are available now in FCLGA and FCLGA-DSC packages, along with corresponding evaluation boards.
More information about these devices and development tools is available at: renesas.com/lv-gan-fets.
