Fujitsu to start production of GaN power devices for high-efficiency power supply units in 2013

USA: Fujitsu Semiconductor has achieved high output power of 2.5kW in server power-supply units equipped with gallium-nitride (GaN) power devices built on a silicon substrate.

The company will exhibit the device for the first time at Embedded Technology 2012 Conference and Exhibition (Nov. 14-16 at the Pacifico Yokohama Convention Center in Japan), and will start volume production of the GaN power devices by the second half of 2013.

The use of GaN technology in power supply applications enhances power efficiency and helps reduce the carbon footprint. Compared with conventional silicon-based power devices, GaN-based power devices feature lower on-resistance and the ability to perform high-frequency operations. These characteristics improve the conversion efficiency of power supply units and make them more compact.

Fujitsu Semiconductor plans to commercialize GaN power devices on a silicon substrate, increasing the diameters of the silicon wafers and enabling low-cost production. The company began work on GaN technology in 2009 and has provided specific power-supply-related partners with sample GaN power devices since 2011. Since then, Fujitsu has worked on optimizing them for use in power supply units.

Fujitsu Semiconductor collaborated with Fujitsu Laboratories Limited on several key technical initiatives, including the development of the process technology for growing high-quality GaN crystals on a silicon substrate. The collaboration also developed device technologies, such as optimizing the design of electrodes to control the rise of on-resistance during switching, and devising a circuit layout for power supply units that can support high-speed switching of GaN-based devices.

The results enable Fujitsu Semiconductor to achieve conversion efficiency that exceeds the performance of conventional silicon devices by using a GaN power device in a power-factor-correction circuit. For example, Fujitsu Semiconductor created a prototype server power-supply unit incorporating a power-factor-correction circuit based on GaN technology that achieved output power of 2.5kW. This impressive performance makes GaN power devices suitable for use in high-voltage, large-current applications.

Fujitsu Semiconductor has established a mass-production line for 6-inch wafers at its Aizu-Wakamatsu plant, and will begin full-scale production of GaN power devices in the second half of 2013. By offering GaN power devices optimized for customer applications and technology support for circuit designs, Fujitsu Semiconductor will support the development of low-loss, compact power supply units for a wide range of uses.