GaNIAL - Integrated and efficient power electronics based on gallium nitride

Fraunhofer IAF’s monolithically integrated half-bridge circuit.
© Fraunhofer IAF
Fraunhofer IAF’s monolithically integrated half-bridge circuit.

The GaN-on-Si heterojunction technology is of lateral nature, thus allows the integration of several components side-by-side on a single chip. The monolithic integration of power circuits improves performance due to lower parasitics, and reduces the effort for assembly and joining technology. This approach is applied in the project GaNIAL by developing highly integrated voltage converters for electromobility and industrial facilities.

 

Project title GaNIAL – Integrated and efficient power electronics based on gallium nitride
 
Project duration 2016 − 2019  
Funding source Federal Ministry of Education and Research  
Project partners
  • Robert Bosch GmbH, Gerlingen-Schillerhöhe
  • BMW AG, München
  • Finepower GmbH, Ismaning
  • Universität Stuttgart, Stuttgart
  • TRUMPF Hüttinger GmbH + Co.KG, Freiburg
 
Project manager Dr. Patrick Waltereit
 
Goals
  • Monolithic Integration of different components and functions, such as: gate-drives, freewheeling diodes, half-bridges, and sensors in a high-voltage GaN-on-Si technology
  • Highly compact and highly efficient GaN power modules achieved by monolithic integration with high switching frequencies and advanced assembly technologies
  • Development of high-performance voltage converter demonstrators for electromobility and industrial facilities
 
Publications
  • B. Weiss, R. Reiner, P. Waltereit, R. Quay, O. Ambacher, A. Sepahvand, D. Maksimovic, "Soft-switching 3 MHz converter based on monolithically integrated half-bridge GaN-chip", 4th IEEE Workshop on Wide Bandgap Power Devices and Applications, WiPDA 2016 , pp.215-219
  • S. Moench, R. Reiner, B. Weiss, P. Waltereit, R. Quay, O. Ambacher, and I. Kallfass, “Single-Input GaN Gate Driver Based on Depletion-Mode Logic Integrated with a 600 V GaN-on-Si Power Transistor," 4th IEEE Workshop on Wide Bandgap Power Devices and Applications, WiPDA 2016.