Power conversion redefined with launch of new IC products

EPC has introduced an 80V, 12.5A power stage integrated circuit designed for 48V DC-DC conversion employed in high-density computing applications, as well as in motor drives for e-mobility.

The EPC2152 is a single-chip driver plus eGaN FET half-bridge power stage employing the company’s proprietary GaN IC technology. Input logic interface, level shifting, bootstrap charging and gate drive buffer circuits accompanied with eGaN output FETs configured as a half-bridge are combined within a monolithic chip. This produces a chip-scale LGA form factor device that measures just 3.9mm x 2.6mm x 0.63mm.

When operated in a 48V to 12V buck converter at 1MHz switching frequency, the device produces a peak efficiency above 96% with a solution that is 33% smaller in size on the PCB in comparison to an equivalent multi-chip discrete implementation.

“Discrete power transistors are entering their final chapter. Integrated GaN-on-Silicon offers higher performance in a smaller footprint with significantly reduced engineering required,” said Alex Lidow, CEO and co-founder of EPC. “This new family of integrated power stages is the next significant stage in the evolution of GaN power conversion, from integrating discrete devices to more complex solutions that offer in-circuit performance beyond the capabilities of silicon solutions and enhance the ease of design for power systems engineers”