Power Integrations has introduced its new TOPSwitchGaN™ IC family at APEC 2026, significantly extending the usable power range of flyback converters up to 440 W—well beyond traditional limits that typically required more complex resonant or LLC topologies.
The new devices combine the company’s PowiGaN™ technology with its established TOPSwitch™ architecture, enabling simpler, more efficient power supply designs while reducing system complexity, component count, and overall cost. This marks a notable architectural shift, allowing engineers to use flyback topologies in applications that previously required more advanced converter designs.
TOPSwitchGaN devices achieve up to 92% efficiency across a wide load range (10% to 100%) while maintaining standby power consumption below 50 mW, meeting stringent energy efficiency standards without requiring synchronous rectification. The integration of 800 V GaN switches enables lower conduction and switching losses, along with operation at switching frequencies up to 150 kHz, reducing transformer size and improving power density.
From a design perspective, the expanded flyback capability simplifies development cycles and improves manufacturability. The ICs are offered in both low-profile surface-mount and through-hole packages, supporting a wide range of applications from compact consumer devices to higher-power industrial systems such as e-bike chargers and appliances.
Strategically, this development reinforces a broader trend in the power semiconductor market: GaN is not only improving efficiency but also reshaping power architecture choices. By pushing flyback into higher power ranges, Power Integrations is enabling cost-effective alternatives to LLC and resonant designs—particularly relevant for mid-power segments where simplicity, size, and cost are critical.
This innovation positions the company to capture growing demand across consumer, industrial, and light mobility applications, while further accelerating GaN adoption in mainstream power conversion designs.
Original – Power Integrations