New agreement now offers fully-packaged GaN FETs

Transphorm’s gallium nitride (GaN) FETs in standard TO-xxx through hole and PQFN88 surface mount packaging are available for immediate shipment from Digi-Key, as part of a new global distribution agreement. The company has developed the JEDEC-qualified GaN FETs for high-voltage power conversion applications. The company’s product portfolio includes 600V and 650V discretes for power levels up to 4.5kw. “The Transphorm team uniquely delivers a vertically-integrated approach to GaN development, said Mike White, senior vice president, sales and marketing at Transphorm. “Our expertise applies to each layer of production—from the epitaxy tech through to the application development support. We’re deeply invested in the end-to-end process so that we can deliver the highest quality, highest reliability GaN technology available and, ultimately, help GaN achieve its promise as the new solution to power density challenges.” The company pairs its depletion-mode, high-voltage GaN FET with a standard, low-voltage silicon (Si) MOSFET, creating a hybrid device known as a cascode switch. These devices operate as normally-off and are compatible with off-the-shelf Si drivers for ease of use. GaN provides higher performance, higher power density, and overall lower system cost. “We’re excited to partner with Transphorm and offer their high-performance and reliable GaN devices to our global customers,” said David Stein, VP, global semiconductor at Digi-Key. “Their fully-packaged GaN FETs allow engineers and designers that develop power switching applications to take advantage of the benefits of these products.”