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Gallium Nitride devices poised to become core technology in power
electronics: GaN Systems showcases broadest product offering on
market at Electronica
From semiconductor start-up to product commercialisation in under seven years
OTTAWA, Ontario – November 2014 – GaN Systems Inc, a leading developer of gallium nitride power
switching semiconductors, says gallium nitride is set to take off dramatically and will become the core
technology in power electronics within the next three years. Founded a mere seven years ago, GaN
Systems has developed an unparalleled range of gallium nitride, high power transistors based on its unique
Island Technology® design. These new GaN devices offer significant advantages over traditional silicon
MOSFETs and IGBTs and usher in smaller, lighter and more efficient power electronics in numerous
industrial, consumer and automotive applications such as datacentre power supplies, notebook travel
adapters, air conditioning motors and electric vehicle battery chargers and traction electronics.
The Ottawa-based company is exhibiting at Electronica 2014 for the first time and is showcasing the most
comprehensive range of gallium nitride devices available on the global market with current ratings from 8A
to 250A. Based on the company’s core IP, Island Technology®, these power switching semiconductors
incorporate the wide-bandgap and superior switching speed, temperature, voltage and current
performance of gallium nitride into a unique structure that maximizes wafer yields and produces highly
efficient transistors up to four times smaller and at lower cost than tradition design approaches. The fast
switching and dense current-carrying capability of Island Technology® devices is further enhanced by GaN
Systems’ compact, near chipscale GaNPX™ packaging, which has no wire bonds, minimizing inductance and
thermal resistance and increasing reliability. The third technological innovation at the heart of GaN
Systems products is Drive Assist™, on-chip drivers that simplify circuit design, remove Miller driving issues
and improve switching speed.
“Power system engineers around the world concur that the availability of GaN transistors may be the single
most important advance since the IGBT became available in the 1990s. The ability to decrease power losses
by 50%-90% or to reduce the size and weight of a system up to one quarter of its original size will alter the
way power systems are designed and used. GaN Systems’ industry-leading GaN power transistors are
enabling this transition to begin. We have brought the broadest GaN product offering to the global
marketplace with unique technology that enables it to be incorporated easily into the next generation of
power electronics. ” says Jim Witham, CEO GaN Systems.
Witham continues: “2014 has been one of the most exciting and significant years since the company’s
inception. Our global distribution agreement with Mouser Electronics now delivers GaN Systems’ products
directly into the hands of electronics design engineers, we have added to our headcount worldwide and
made significant appointments at VP level in Europe and Asia, and we have presented technical papers or
exhibited at major conferences worldwide. Earlier this year we moved our HQ into new, expanded premises
in Kanata, Ottawa’s high-tech district, so we could increase our laboratory space tenfold, ensure our R&D
facility incorporates state-of-the-art custom facilities and the dedicated power and cooling systems needed
to fully explore higher power applications and accelerate new product development and testing.”
About GaN Systems
GaN Systems is a fabless semiconductor company that is the first place systems designers go to realize all
the benefits of gallium nitride in their power conversion and control applications. To overcome silicon’s
limitations in switching speed, temperature, voltage and current, the company develops the most complete
range of gallium nitride power switching transistors for a wide variety of markets. GaN Systems’ unique
Island Technology® addresses today’s challenges of cost, performance, and manufacturability resulting in
devices that are smaller and more efficient than other GaN design approaches. The company is
headquartered in Ottawa, Canada. For more information, please visit: www.gansystems.com
More Information
Tracy Lamb
Corporate Communications
GaN Systems
+1 (613) 686-1996 ext. 149 (office)
[email protected]
www.gansystems.com
For press enquiries:
Anna Johnston
PR Account Manager
BWW Communications
Tel.: +44 1491-636393
[email protected]
www.bwwcomms.com