Renesas has introduced what it calls the industry’s first bidirectional 650 V-class GaN switch with integrated DC blocking, aimed at simplifying power-conversion topologies in applications such as solar microinverters, AI data centers and onboard EV chargers.

The new TP65B110HRU is designed to block both positive and negative current in a single device, eliminating the need for conventional back-to-back FET arrangements. Renesas says that in a single-stage solar microinverter, two of the new bidirectional SuperGaN devices can replace more complex multi-stage arrangements, cutting switch count in half and eliminating intermediate DC-link capacitors. The company says a real-world single-stage solar microinverter implementation achieved more than 97.5% efficiency.

Technically, the device combines a high-voltage bidirectional depletion-mode GaN die with two low-voltage silicon MOSFETs in a co-packaged structure. Renesas says the part supports ±650 V continuous AC/DC operation, ±800 V transient rating, 110 mΩ typical RSS,ON at 25 °C, 3 V typical threshold voltage, ±20 V maximum Vgs, and dv/dt immunity above 100 V/ns. It comes in a top-side-cooled TOLT package with an industry-standard pinout, and the company says it requires no negative gate drive, making it compatible with standard gate drivers.

Renesas says the device has a major practical advantage over enhancement-mode bidirectional GaN devices, which can require more complicated gate-drive schemes. “Customers can now achieve higher efficiency with fewer switching components, smaller PCB area and lower system cost,” said Rohan Samsi, Vice President of Renesas’s GaN Business Division.

Source: Renesas