AN0004：使用GaN设计硬转换电桥.pdfVIP

AN-0004 Application Note Designing Hard-switched Bridges with GaN 1. Diode-free bridges. GaN power HEMTs are nearly ideal switches for many applications. A particular advantage in bridge circuits is that they can carry the freewheeling current without the need of an additional anti-parallel diode. Figure 1 compares a traditional high-voltage half bridge to a half bridge made with GaN devices. In the traditional half bridge each switch (shown here as an IGBT) is paired with a freewheeling diode. Because the HEMT channel exists in pure, undoped GaN, there is no parasitic p-n junction to provide an unwanted current path, and bidirectional flow of majority carriers can be realized in the channel. Figure 1: Comparison of a traditional high-voltage half bridge to a GaN half bridge. In Transphorm’s cascode hybrid transistors the freewheeling current does indeed flow in the body diode of a silicon FET, but because it is a low voltage part, the injected charge is very small. Figure 2 indicates the current path for three modes of operation. In the reverse conducting mode the conduction loss may be reduced by enhancing the silicon FET (driving VgsVth). As indicated in the figure, the voltage drop from source to drain decreases by about 0.8V with a 5A reverse current when the gate is enhanced. 1 September 9, 2014 jwh AN-0004 Figure 2: Current paths in the cascode GaN switch for three operating modes, and the corresponding IV characteristic. Some transistor tech