5G Power and GaN Devices

Gallium Nitride ( GaN ) device is a power switching device that is very suitable for power conversion in 5G network infrastructure. The energy requirements of 5G network infrastructure and the technical advantages of GaN can almost perfectly match, although it may not be practical in practical applications. There will not always be a need for too much power capacity, but the low power consumption of GaN devices will enable 5G power equipment to have a better operating cost advantage.

Compared with 4G networks, the higher power requirements of 5G networks have brought considerable cost pressure to existing communication infrastructure, and forced manufacturers to continue to innovate to increase the power density of equipment and reduce thermal density, while improving Energy conversion efficiency.

The only way to solve this design challenge is to increase the efficiency of the device’s power conversion stage, thereby providing more power output in the same footprint with a relatively lower input power. To achieve this goal, gallium nitride ( GaN ) materials and surface mount device (SMD) packaging processes need to be used simultaneously.

First, the surface-mount packaging process enables electronic devices to have a smaller footprint, and second, as the name suggests, these devices are mounted on the surface of the PCB instead of using plated through holes and pins passing through the PCB, such as through-hole mounting device (THD). In general, since SMD packages are smaller than THD packages, the use of SMT (Surface Mount Process) can significantly increase the functional density of electronic devices. However, as far as power semiconductors are concerned, it is not enough to just transfer from THD to SMD. If the efficiency of the device is not substantially solved, it will lead to higher heat density. Thermal density is closely related to power density, and increasing power density in a power device is only practical if the thermal density remains the same or, preferably, decreases. The use of SMD packaging also simplifies PCB design, and the power device itself allows for top cooling, during which the top is in direct contact with the case (usually aluminum), thus reducing the heat dissipation path from the transistor junction to the surrounding air.

Although conventional silicon-based SMD power semiconductor devices can increase power density, they also increase heat density. Therefore, even if the device has better thermal conductivity, unless the switching efficiency can also be improved, it will still be limited by the operating temperature. Known MOSFET-based power conversion topologies have achieved efficiency levels around 98%, leaving little room for further improvement.

silicon carbide ( SiC ) and gallium nitride ( GaN ) are inherently more efficient than MOSFETs due to differences in material properties, making them ideal for SMD packaging. Compared with silicon devices, surface mount GaN devices have better switching physical characteristics at high frequency and high power, and also have lower on-resistance; more importantly, their switching losses are significantly reduced, making power conversion Transducers can operate at higher switching frequencies, which directly simplifies the magnetic discrete component assembly required for switching power supply topologies. This directly leads to smaller power solutions enabling higher power densities.

Huijue Network’s latest 5G integrated power supply products use G aN and SiC power semiconductor devices, which make the products have the characteristics of high efficiency, small size and reliability.