Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD) has unveiled its first line of commercially-available products: the ICeGaN 650 V H1 series.
For those curious, ICeGaN stands for Integrated Circuit Enhancement GaN, while GaN is short for Gallium Nitride.
The Cambridge University spinout says its semiconductors can reduce power loss by 50% compared to silicon die. While the V H1 series’ use cases include standard semiconductor consumer matters like gaming and mobile chargers, CGD hopes to use this line of products as a jumping-off point into a variety of markets including lighting, server power and renewable energy production.
Andrea Bricconi, VP of Business Development at CGD, explains: “These four products can be seamlessly interfaced with gate drivers which make ICeGaN-based GaN HEMTs easy to use, like a Silicon MOSFET. No additional components are needed to drive ICeGaN, no clamping diodes for protection, no negative voltages are needed to TurnOFF the power transistor, and still the highest performance levels are guaranteed by GaN intrinsic properties. The wide range of RdsON, from 55 mΩ to 200 mΩ, are offered in two of the most popular SMD packages, DFN5x6 and DFN8x8 which make the portfolio perfectly suited for most low and mid power SMPS applications, while specific IC and packages solutions for high power markets are in preparation.”
CGD has been polishing its semiconductor technology in the years since its foundation in 2016 by Dr. Giorgia Longobardi and Prof. Florin Udrea. The firm is often contributing to or leading projects related to the Gallium Nitride-based technology that gave the company its name. Project partners have included the University of Cambridge, Microsemi, Infineon Technologies, the Technical University of Dortmund and SUMIDA Components & Modules.
The company secured $9.5 million (£7 million) in Series A funding In February 2021. According to CGD, it has 39 patents and applications, with 20 distinctive inventions.
With the ICeGaN 650 V H1 series, the firm hopes to capitalise on the rapidly-growing semiconductor market. Semiconductor sales have been on a steady rise since 2020. According to reports from the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), semiconductor sales have increased from $39.4 billion (£29.9 billion) in October 2020 to $50.7 billion (£38.5 billion) as of 3 March 2020.
The market for GaN power devices is currently valued at $110.3 million (£83.7 million) but is expected to hit $1.2 billion (£911 million) by 2027 according to Allied Market Research.
The image is a generic one and does not represent CGD’s products.
