ST launches MasterGaN product platform for driver chips and GaN transistors

     Semiconductor supplier ST has launched the world's first MasterGaN product platform embedded with a silicon-based half-bridge driver chip and a pair of gallium nitride (GaN) transistors, an integrated solution that will help accelerate the development of the next generation of lightweight and energy efficient chargers and power adapters for consumer electronics and industry under 400W.

     GaN technology enables electronic devices to handle more power while the devices themselves become smaller, lighter and more energy efficient, improvements that will transform ultra-fast chargers and wireless chargers for smartphones, and USB-PD compact adapters for PCS and game consoles. And industrial applications such as solar energy storage systems, uninterruptible power supplies or high-end OLED TVS and cloud servers.

     In today's GaN market, discrete power transistors and driver ics are commonly used, which requires designers to learn how to make them work together to achieve optimal performance. St's MasterGaN solution bypasses this challenge, reducing time to market and achieving the expected performance while enabling smaller, simpler packages with fewer circuit components and higher system reliability. Leveraging the advantages of GaN technology and ST's integrated products, chargers and adapters using the new products are 80% smaller and 70% lighter than ordinary silicon-based solutions.

     Matteo Lo Presti, Executive Vice President and General Manager of ST's Analog Products Division, said: "ST's unique MasterGaN product platform is based on our market-proven expertise and design capabilities, integrating the high-voltage smart power BCD process with GaN technology to accelerate the development of space-saving, energy-efficient environmentally friendly products."