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Infineon Technologies AG announced the integration of its advanced gallium nitride (GaN) technology into the next generation of solar microinverters from Enphase Energy, Inc. The collaboration highlights Infineon’s CoolGaN™ bi-directional switch (BDS) as a key enabler of higher power output, greater energy efficiency, and improved system reliability in Enphase’s new IQ9 Series Microinverters.
Specifically, the IQ9N-3P™ Commercial Microinverter benefits from simplified system design and reduced installation and balance-of-system costs. The use of CoolGaN BDS technology allows for compact and highly efficient power conversion by enabling single-stage operation and replacing multiple unidirectional switches with a single bi-directional device. This innovation significantly reduces power loss—outperforming conventional silicon switches by 68% and GaN unidirectional switches by 42%.
“As a market leader in power semiconductors, Infineon masters all relevant materials: silicon (Si), silicon carbide (SiC), and gallium nitride,” said Adam White, Division President, Power & Sensor Systems at Infineon Technologies AG. “The development of GaN technology is a key part of our vision, offering the most efficient power semiconductor solutions for companies like Enphase to create high-performance, efficient applications to drive the widespread adoption of photovoltaic systems.”
Ron Swenson, Senior Vice President of Operations at Enphase Energy, added, “Utilizing Infineon’s CoolGaN bi-directional switch technology allows us to service a much larger segment of the commercial market with our IQ9 Series Microinverters. This teamwork highlights our commitment to ongoing innovation in the solar energy industry. We’re excited by the performance gains enabled by GaN-powered technology and look forward to deepening our long-term partnership with Infineon.”
The CoolGaN BDS is a critical technology for renewable energy applications, including solar photovoltaics, wind power, energy storage systems, electric vehicle motor drives, on-board chargers, and high-performance AI servers—applications that demand maximum efficiency, power density, and long-term reliability.
The collaboration aligns with both companies’ commitment to addressing global renewable energy demand. According to the International Energy Agency, solar PV accounted for approximately 7% of total global electricity generation in 2024. By 2030, solar PV is projected to contribute to 80% of new renewable capacity additions, totaling over 5500 GW.
Infineon continues to expand its GaN leadership, with more than 40 new product announcements over the past year. The company is progressing on the transition to scalable GaN production using 300-millimeter wafers, further enhancing its capacity to meet growing global demand for high-efficiency power devices.
Through this partnership, Infineon and Enphase are advancing the performance and reach of solar technologies, supporting the global shift toward clean energy and decarbonization.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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Infineon Technologies AG has introduced its first gallium nitride (GaN) transistor family qualified to the Automotive Electronics Council (AEC) standard, marking a major milestone in the company’s strategy to strengthen its position as a global leader in automotive semiconductors and become a key player in GaN technology.
The new CoolGaN Automotive Transistor 100 V G1 family is now in production, with samples of pre-production devices already being supplied to customers. These products, qualified according to the AEC-Q101 standard, include both high-voltage CoolGaN automotive transistors and bidirectional switches. The launch underlines Infineon’s commitment to developing innovative semiconductor solutions that meet the evolving demands of next-generation vehicles.
“Infineon will advance its world-leading position for semiconductor solutions in the automotive industry by bringing GaN power technology to the growing software-defined and electric vehicle market,” said Johannes Schoiswohl, Head of the GaN Business Line at Infineon. “Our 100 V GaN auto transistor solutions and upcoming high-voltage extensions are an important milestone toward energy-efficient and reliable automotive power transistors.”
With the rise of electric and software-defined vehicles, features such as advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), new infotainment platforms, and enhanced climate control are driving the need for more efficient power management. GaN devices enable higher energy efficiency, reduced system size, and lower overall cost compared to traditional silicon solutions.
As automotive architectures transition from 12 V to 48 V systems, GaN-based power converters are playing a vital role in improving vehicle performance and supporting advanced features such as steer-by-wire and real-time chassis control. Infineon’s new 100 V CoolGaN transistors deliver high efficiency in a compact form factor, making them ideal for zone control units, main DC-DC converters, high-performance auxiliary systems, and Class D audio amplifiers.
Infineon plans to continue expanding its range of automotive-qualified GaN products to further accelerate the adoption of GaN technology in electric and intelligent vehicle applications. The new CoolGaN Automotive Transistors 100 V G1 series, including models IGC033S10S1Q and IGB110S10S1Q, is now available.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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Infineon Technologies AG has introduced the CoolGaN™ bidirectional switch (BDS) 650 V G5, a gallium nitride (GaN) switch capable of actively blocking voltage and current in both directions. Featuring a common-drain design and a double-gate structure, it leverages Infineon’s robust gate injection transistor (GIT) technology to deliver a monolithic bidirectional switch, enabled by Infineon’s CoolGaN technology. The device serves as a highly efficient replacement for traditional back-to-back configurations commonly used in converters.
The bidirectional CoolGaN switch offers several key advantages for power conversion systems. By integrating two switches in a single device, it simplifies the design of cycloconverter topologies, enabling single-stage power conversion, eliminating the need for multiple conversion stages. This leads to improved efficiency, increased reliability, and a more compact design. BDS-based microinverters also benefit from higher power density and reduced component count, which simplifies manufacturing and reduces costs. Additionally, the device supports advanced grid functions such as reactive power compensation and bidirectional operation.
As a result, this solution holds significant potential across a wide range of applications, including:
Microinverters: The CoolGaN bidirectional switch enables simpler and more efficient microinverter designs, reducing both size and cost. This makes microinverters more attractive for residential and commercial solar installations.
Energy Storage Systems (ESS): In ESS applications such as battery chargers and dischargers, the switch allows for more efficient and reliable energy storage and release.
Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging: In EV charging systems, the BDS switch supports faster, more efficient charging while also enabling vehicle-to-grid (V2G) functionality, where energy stored in the vehicle battery can be fed back into the grid.
Motor control: The CoolGaN BDS is ideal for use in Current Source Inverters (CSI) for industrial motor drives. Compared to traditional Voltage Source Inverters (VSI), CSIs offer benefits such as:
- Producing a sinusoidal output voltage, which supports longer cable runs, reduced losses, and improved fault tolerance.
- Replacing the DC-link capacitor with an inductor, improving high-temperature performance and short-circuit protection.
- Higher efficiency at partial loads, lower EMI, inherent buck-boost capability for voltage variation, and scalability for parallel operation.
These features make CSIs a more robust and efficient alternative for industrial motor applications.
AI data centers: In AI server power supplies, bidirectional switches like CoolGaN support higher switching frequencies and power density in architectures such as Vienna rectifiers and H4 PFCs. A single CoolGaN BDS can replace two conventional switches, reducing component count, cost, size, and overall power losses.
The CoolGaN bidirectional switch (BDS) 650 V G5 is available for ordering now as well as samples of the 110 mΩ product. More information is available here.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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With the rapid growth of AI data centers, the increasing adoption of electric vehicles, and the ongoing trends in global digitalization and reindustrialization, global electricity demand is expected to surge. To address this challenge, Infineon Technologies AG is introducing the EasyPACK™ CoolGaN™ Transistor 650 V module, adding to its growing GaN power portfolio.
Based on the Easy Power Module platform, the module has been specifically developed for high-power applications such as data centers, renewable energy systems, and DC electric vehicle charging stations. It is designed to meet the growing demand for higher performance while providing maximum ease of use, helping customers accelerate their design processes, and shorten time-to-market.
“The CoolGaN-based EasyPACK power modules combine Infineon’s expertise in power semiconductors and power modules,” says Roland Ott, Senior Vice President and Head of the Green Energy Modules and Systems Business Unit at Infineon. “This combination offers customers a solution that meets the increasing demand for high-performance and energy-efficient technologies in applications such as data centers, renewable energy, and EV charging.”
The EasyPACK CoolGaN module integrates 650 V CoolGaN power semiconductors with low parasitic inductances, achieved through compact die packing – enabling fast and efficient switching. Delivering up to 70 kW per phase with just a single module, the design supports compact and scalable high-power systems. Furthermore, by combining Infineon’s .XT interconnect technology with CoolGaN options, the module enhances both performance and reliability.
The .XT technology is implemented on a high-performance substrate, significantly reducing thermal resistance, which in turn translates to higher system efficiency and lower cooling demands. This results in increased power density and excellent cycling robustness, even under demanding operating conditions. With support for a broad range of topologies and customization options, the EasyPACK CoolGaN module addresses diverse requirements in industrial and energy applications.
Infineon has sold well over 70 million EasyPACK modules with various chipsets for a wide range of industrial and automotive applications. With the introduction of the CoolGaN power semiconductors in this package, Infineon is now expanding the application range of GaN as its use creates more demand into very high kilowatt applications.
The EasyPACK series leverages Infineon’s PressFIT contact technology, which ensures highly reliable and durable electrical connections between the module and the PCB. By utilizing a cold-welding process, PressFIT delivers gas-tight, solder-free joints that guarantee long-term mechanical stability and electrical conductivity, even under demanding thermal and mechanical conditions. This advanced design reduces manufacturing time and eliminates potential solder-related defects, offering a robust solution for high-reliability applications. Additionally, with its compact design, EasyPACK modules occupy up to 30 percent less PCB surface area than other conventional discrete layouts, resulting in a very cost-effective solution.
The newest 650 V CoolGaN generation provides increased performance and figures of merit. Infineon’s benchmark data shows that CoolGaN Transistor 650 V G5 products provide up to 50 percent lower energy stored in the output capacitance (E oss), up to 60 percent improved drain-source charge (Q oss) and up to 60 percent lower gate charge (Q g). Combined, these features result in increased efficiencies in both hard- and soft-switching applications.
This leads to a significant reduction in power loss compared to traditional silicon technology, ranging from 20 to 60 percent depending on the specific use case. The CoolGaN Transistor 650 V G5 product family offers a wide range of R DS(on) package combinations. Ten R DS(on) classes are available in various SMD packages, such as ThinPAK 5×6, DFN 8×8, TOLL and TOLT. All products are manufactured on high-performance 8-inch production lines in Villach (Austria) and Kulim (Malaysia). Target applications range from consumer and industrial switched-mode power supply (SMPS) such as USB-C adapters and chargers, lighting, TV, data center, and telecom rectifiers to renewable energy and motor drives in home appliances.
Infineon will showcase the EasyPACK modules with CoolGaN at PCIM 2025 in Nuremberg at the Infineon booth in Hall 7, Booth 470. Further information is available here.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology plays a crucial role in enabling power electronics to reach the highest levels of performance. However, GaN suppliers have thus far taken different approaches to package types and sizes, leading to fragmentation and lack of multiple footprint-compatible sources for customers.
Infineon Technologies AG addresses this challenge by announcing the high-performance gallium nitride CoolGaN™ G3 Transistor 100 V in RQFN 5×6 package (IGD015S10S1) and 80 V in RQFN 3.3×3.3 package (IGE033S08S1).
“The new devices are compatible with industry-standard silicon MOSFET packages, meeting customer demands for a standardized footprint, easier handling and faster-time-to-market,” said, Dr. Antoine Jalabert, Product Line Head for mid-voltage GaN at Infineon.
The CoolGaN G3 100 V Transistor devices will be available in a 5×6 RQFN package with a typical on-resistance of 1.1 mΩ. Additionally, the 80 V transistor in a 3.3×3.3 RQFN package has a typical resistance of 2.3 mΩ. These transistors offer a footprint that, for the first time, allows for easy multi-sourcing strategies and complementary layouts to Silicon-based designs. The new packages in combination with GaN offer a low-resistance connection and low parasitics, enabling high performance transistor output in a familiar footprint.
Moreover, this chip and package combination allows for high level of robustness in terms of thermal cycling, in addition to improved thermal conductivity, as heat is better distributed and dissipated due to the larger exposed surface area and higher copper density.
Samples of the GaN transistors IGE033S08S1 and IGD015S10S1 in RQFN packages will be available in April 2025.
Original – Infineon Technologies
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Infineon Technologies AG announced the launch of a new family of high-voltage discretes, the CoolGaN™ Transistors 650 V G5, further strengthening its Gallium Nitride (GaN) portfolio. Target applications for this new product family range from consumer and industrial switched-mode power supply (SMPS) such as USB-C adapters and chargers, lighting, TV, data center and telecom rectifiers to renewable energy and motor drives in home appliances.
The latest CoolGaN generation is designed as a drop-in replacement for the CoolGaN Transistors 600 V G1, enabling rapid redesign of existing platforms. The new devices provide improved figures of merit to ensure competitive switching performance in focus applications.
Compared to key competitors and previous product families from Infineon, the CoolGaN Transistors 650 V G5 offer up to 50 percent lower energy stored in the output capacitance (E oss), up to 60 percent improved drain-source charge (Q oss) and up to 60 percent lower gate charge (Q g). Combined, these features result in excellent efficiencies in both hard- and soft-switching applications. This leads to a significant reduction in power loss compared to traditional silicon technology, ranging from 20 to 60 percent depending on the specific use case.
These benefits allow the devices to operate at high frequencies with minimal power loss, resulting in superior power density. The CoolGaN Transitors 650 V G5 enable SMPS applications to be smaller and lighter or to increase the output power range in a given form factor.
The new high-voltage transistor product family offers a wide range of R DS(on) package combinations. Ten R DS(on) classes are available in various SMD packages, such as ThinPAK 5×6, DFN 8×8 , TOLL and TOLT. All products are manufactured on high-performance 8-inch production lines in Villach (Austria) and Kulim (Malaysia). In the future, CoolGaN will transition to 12-inch production. This will enable Infineon to further expand its CoolGaN capacity and ensure a robust supply chain in the GaN power market, which is expected to reach $2 billion by 2029, according to Yole Group.
A demo featuring the CoolGaN Transistors 650 V G5 will be showcased at electronica 2024 in Munich from November 12 to 15 (hall C3, booth 502).
Original – Infineon Technologies
