Farnell announced a new global distribution partnership with Transphorm, a company specialising in the design and manufacturing of high-voltage gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductors for power conversion applications.
Transphorm’s SuperGaN power semiconductors, which boast one of the largest power GaN IP portfolios with over 1,000 patents, offer high performance and reliability in a variety of device packages. This technology is utilised in a normally-off d-mode GaN platform, providing robustness and reliability. Products using SuperGaN FETs benefit from higher power density and efficiency, as well as lower overall power system costs compared to alternative solutions.
The SuperGaN platform’s fundamental physics enable significant innovations, making Transphorm’s GaN a versatile and future-proof solution for various applications.
Farnell Product Category Director – Passives & Semiconductors, Jose Lok, said: “Onboarding Transphorm as a new supplier supports our commitment to deliver high quality products to customers while giving them the ability to choose preferred manufacturers as well as the best GaN device package and performance to meet their design needs.”
Benefits of Transphorm’s SuperGaN Devices include:
- Industry-leading efficiency (over 99%)
- Up to 50% higher power density
- Up to 20% lower system cost
- Proven robustness and reliability
- Drop-in and/or drive compatible with all other high voltage power technologies
- Supports a wide range of power applications (from 40W to 7.5kW, with higher power ratings coming soon)
Transphorm’s GaN innovations have resulted in several industry firsts, including the 1,200V GaN-on-Sapphire device expected to be commercially available by mid-2024, short-circuit withstand times of five microseconds, and a GaN four-quadrant switch with true voltage and current bidirectionality control.
Jose added: “The primary advantage of SuperGaN is the use of GaN in its native d-mode form. By doing this, the 2DEG channel that is spontaneously created between the undoped GaN and AlGaN layers is left untouched. This yields a simple-to-manufacture solution that harnesses all the 2DEG’s inherent advantages, maximising the device’s electron mobility and charge while minimizing temperature effects. The result is the highest performing solution spanning the widest power spectrum versus other Si and WBG technologies. These are just some of the many reasons we are now delighted to offer them, with rapid ordering and delivery options, to our customers.”
“The power electronics market across all industries is radically changing as power conversion technologies like our SuperGaN platform drive major design and performance advantages,” said Vipin Bothra, VP of Sales for North America and Europe at Transphorm. “Our GaN devices are currently being adopted into a global consumer, industrial and automotive markets. We feel it is critical to enable our customers to access our devices however they prefer. Partnering with well-respected global distributors like Farnell is a necessary step to meeting that objective. We look forward to a strong, mutually beneficial relationship that helps revolutionise power systems in everything from adapters and PCs to renewable energy systems and electric vehicles.”
