ROHM’s New Ultra-High-Speed Gate Driver IC: Maximizing the Performance of GaN Devices

Class-leading* unit of nanoseconds gate drive contributes to greater energy savings and miniaturization in LiDAR applications and data centers

Willich-Münchheide, Germany, Novemver 08, 2023 – ROHM has developed a gate driver IC – the BD2311NVX-LB. It is optimized for GaN devices and achieves gate drive speeds on the order of nanoseconds (ns) – ideal for high-speed GaN switching. This was facilitated through a deep understanding of GaN technology and the continuing pursuit of gate driver performance. The result: fast switching with a minimum gate input pulse width of 1.25ns that contributes to smaller, more energy efficient, higher performance applications.
In recent years, improving power conversion efficiency while reducing the size of power supply units in server systems have become important factors as the number of IoT devices continues to grow. This requires further advancements in the power device sector. At the same time, LiDAR, which is used not only for autonomous driving but also for monitoring industrial equipment and social infrastructure, demands high-speed pulsed laser light to further increase recognition accuracy.

As these applications require the use of high-speed switching devices, in conjunction with the release of GaN devices, ROHM developed an ultra-high-speed gate driver IC that maximizes GaN performance. Going forward, ROHM continues to release smaller WLCSP products to support greater miniaturization.

As GaN devices are sensitive towards gate input overvoltage, ROHM has developed a unique method to suppress the gate voltage overshoots and has implemented it into this driver. On top, the optimum GaN device can be selected by adjusting the gate resistance based on application requirements. ROHM also offers a lineup of GaN devices under the EcoGaN™ name – contributing to a sustainable society through power solutions when combined with gate driver ICs that maximize their performance. The gate driver BD2311NVX-LB with the unique gate overvoltage suppression featu

re – when used with ROHM’s EcoGaN™ products – further simplifies the design and enhances application reliability.

Professor Yue-Ming Hsin, Department of Electrical Engineering, National Central University, Taiwan
“GaN devices are expected to be materials that can demonstrate performance in the high-frequency range more than silicon. In power switching applications such as DC-DC and AC-DC converters, and in LiDAR applications, the performance of GaN devices can contribute to smaller, more energy-efficient, and higher performance applications.
On the other hand, to demonstrate the performance of GaN devices, gate driver IC that enable high-speed switching while taking into account the low drive voltage of GaN HEMTs are essential. Therefore, we turned our attention to ROHM, which aims to maximize the performance of GaN devices by developing optimized gate drive technology. Professor Yu-Chen Liu (National Taipei University of Technology) and Professor Chin Hsia (Chang Gung University), who are working together on the same project, tested ROHM’s driver IC, the BD2311NVX.
The results showed that BD2311NVX had shorter rise time and lower ringing at 1MHz switching frequency for boost converters compared to other driver ICs.
The reduced rise time of this driver IC will help maximize the reduction in switching losses, which is an advantage of GaN. We are also looking forward to ROHM’s GaN solutions, which have strengths in analog technologies in power supplies and drivers.”

LiDAR Application Example

Product Lineup

Application Examples
• LiDAR drive circuits (i.e. industrial equipment, infrastructure monitoring)
• DC-DC converter circuits in data centers, base stations etc.
• Wireless charging for portable devices
• Class D audio amps and more
Online Sales Information
Sales Launch Date: September 2023
Online Distributors: Farnell, DigiKey and Mouser
The IC will be offered at other online distributors as it becomes available.
Applicable Part No: BD2311NVX-LB

Reference Designs
Reference designs for LiDAR incorporating these new products together with ROHM’s 150V EcoGaN™ and high-power laser diodes are now available on ROHM’s website.
These designs can be used to reduce development load.
Reference Design Part Nos:
REFLD002-1 (Square Wave Circuit),
REFLD002-2 (Resonant Circuit)
https://www.rohm.com/reference-designs/refld002

EcoGaN™
Refers to ROHM’s new lineup of GaN devices that contribute to energy conservation and miniaturization by maximizing GaN characteristics to achieve lower application power consumption, smaller peripheral components, and simpler designs requiring fewer parts.
EcoGaN™ is a trademark or registered trademark of ROHM Co., Ltd.

Professor Yue-Ming Hsin Profile
Born in Tainan, Taiwan in 1965, Dr. Hsin holds a BS from National Central University, an MS from National Chiao Tung University, and a PhD from the University of California, San Diego (Electrical Engineering). Currently a professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering at National Central University (NCU) in Taiwan, he is also an overseas editor at both Applied Physics Express (APEX) and the Japanese Journal of Applied Physics (JJAP). His research interests include the development of devices and circuits based on heterostructures and wide bandgap semiconductors.

Career
1997: Joined ANADIGICS, Inc. of Warren, NJ (Now Coherent Corp.). Developed GaAs MOSFETs and pHEMTs for wireless and fiber optic communications.
1998: Joined the faculty of Electrical Engineering at National Central University.
2004-05: Visiting Scholar, University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign.
2016-17: Visiting Professor, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
2019-22: Director of the Center for Optical Research at National Central University (NCU).

Visit ROHM’s Website for More Information
https://www.rohm.com/news-detail?news-title=2023-11-08_news_gate-driver&defaultGroupId=false

*ROHM November 8, 2023 study

Credit: ROHM