APEC Unveils Dual-Side Cooling 1mΩ 100V GaN Transistor

EPC has introduced the EPC2361, which it claims to be "the lowest on-resistance GaN FET on the market." This innovative product boasts a resistance of 1mΩ at 100V and comes in a compact 3 x 5mm QFN package with top and bottom cooling features.

Operating at 50A and 25°C with 5V on the gate, the resistance of the EPC2361 increases to approximately 1.8mΩ at the maximum operating temperature of 150°C (with a minimum of -40°C). However, the preliminary data sheet does not specify the maximum Rds(on) figures, a detail that Electronics Weekly has requested from the company.

The design of the package facilitates efficient heat dissipation through the PCB and a heat spreader on top. The junction-to-board thermal resistance is rated at 1.5°C/W, while the junction-to-package-top thermal resistance is 0.2°C/W.

It is important to note that the top heat spreader is metallic when connected to the source potential. EPC warns that for half-bridge topologies, the thermal interface material must provide electrical isolation to the heatsink.

In terms of current handling, the EPC2361 can manage 101A continuously at 25°C, with the capability to handle pulses of up to 519A for 300µs. However, similar to other GaN hemt power transistors, this product does not offer protective avalanche for over-voltage spikes.

For development purposes, EPC offers the EPC90156, a board measuring approximately 50 x 50mm. This board enables the implementation of a 100V 65A half-bridge using two of the new EPC2361 transistors and a Up1966E gate driver from uPI Semiconductor in Taiwan, a company represented by EPC in Europe and the US.

The EPC2361 is expected to find applications in various fields, including ac-dc synchronous rectification, dc-dc conversion up to 80V (buck, boost, buck-boost, and LLC), as well as 24 – 60V motor drives. End-users in sectors such as data centers, eMobility, robotics, drones, and solar power converters are anticipated to benefit from this cutting-edge technology.

For those interested in learning more about the EPC2361 and other products by EPC, the company can be visited at Booth 1,045 at the Applied Power Electronics Conference in California. The preliminary data sheet for the EPC2361 can be accessed here.