Expanded low-power GaN portfolio enables AC/DC power adapters to shrink by 50%

Texas Instruments has expanded its low-power GaN portfolio, designed to help improve power density, maximise system efficiency, and shrink the size of AC/DC consumer power electronics and industrial systems. The company's overall portfolio of GaN FETs with integrated gate drivers manages common thermal design challenges, keeping adapters cooler while pushing more power in a smaller footprint.

"Today's consumers want smaller, lighter and more portable power adapters that also provide fast, energy-efficient charging," said Kannan Soundarapandian, general manager of High Voltage Power at TI. "With the expansion of our portfolio, designers can bring the power-density benefits of low-power GaN technology to more applications that consumers use every day, such as mobile phone and laptop adapters, TV power-supply units, and USB wall outlets. Additionally, TI's portfolio also addresses the growing demand for high efficiency and compact designs in industrial systems such as power tools and server auxiliary power supplies."

The new portfolio of GaN FETs with integrated gate drivers, which includes the LMG3622, LMG3624 and LMG3626, provides the industry's most accurate integrated current sensing. This functionality enables designers to attain maximum efficiency by eradicating the necessity for an external shunt resistor and reducing associated power losses by as much as 94% compared to traditional current-sensing circuits with discrete GaN and silicon FETs.

The GaN FETs with integrated gate drivers allow faster switching speeds, which helps keep adapters from overheating. Designers can achieve up to 94% system efficiency for <75W AC/DC applications or above 95% system efficiency for >75W AC/DC applications. The new devices permit designers to reduce the solution size of a typical 67W power adapter by as much as 50% compared to silicon-based solutions.

The portfolio is also optimised for the most common topologies in AC/DC power conversion, such as quasi-resonant flyback, asymmetrical half bridge flyback, inductor-inductor-converter, totem-pole power factor correction and active clamp flyback.