Companies unveil 4kW GaN power supply reference design

Arrow Electronics, working with Nexperia and Yageo, has completed an AC/DC PSU reference design to unleash GaN efficiency and power-density advantages in applications up to 4kW. The reference design is provided with complete supporting documentation, including BoM.

Customers can incorporate the new GaN-based PSU straight into their own products and are free to modify it if required. Typical applications include solar and wind energy conversion, HVAC equipment, industrial robots, ATMs, fluid pumps, general industrial automation and power supplies, including UPS. Its compact form factor is also excellent for e-bikes, power tools, and professional audio equipment.

The three companies combined their design resources to conceptualise the solution and develop the schematic with components from Nexperia and Yageo.

“Our 4kW reference design is at the forefront of the current trend to adopt GaN wide-bandgap transistors in applications above 1kW,” said Vitali Damasevich, director engineering – Eastern Europe and engineering solutions centre, EMEA, Arrow Electronics. “By leveraging the latest GaN FETs and customised passive components, we have achieved a significant increase in efficiency, power density, and device miniaturisation over traditional silicon-MOSFET-based solutions. In addition to supplying the reference design, we can also help customers to develop their own highly efficient PSUs, as well as integrate the solution in their applications for optimal form, fit, and function.”

To realise the advanced PSU design, Arrow’s team selected the latest GAN039-650NTB GaN power transistors from Nexperia and worked with Yageo to develop specifications for the flyback transformer and resonant-circuit inductor. The GAN039-650NTB power GaN FET offers cutting-edge device parameters, including fast and tightly controlled turn-on/turn-off times and low RDS(on). It is housed in a thermally efficient copper-clip SMD package with top-side cooling that provides high reliability and low operating temperatures with simplified thermal management.

The flyback transformer from Yageo is a custom design with two isolated outputs that offer auxiliary supplies for the PSU control ICs and gate drivers in a small form factor. Similarly, the LLC inductor is specially designed, and it provides 500kHz working frequency with 48V operating voltage and 80A current rating.