Infineon Technologies AG has launched the first of a new family of radiation-hardened (rad-hard) gallium nitride (GaN) transistors, based on its CoolGan technology. Complementing the company’s rad-hard silicon MOSFET portfolio, these new GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) devices are designed for mission-critical space applications, including on-orbit space vehicles, crewed space exploration, and deep space probes.

Designed to operate in harsh space environments, one of the first product variants is claimed as the first in-house manufactured GaN transistor to earn the highest quality certification of reliability assigned by the United States Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to the Joint Army Navy Space (JANS) Specification MIL-PRF-19500/794.

(Source: Infineon Technologies AG)

The new GaN power transistors deliver high efficiency, thermal management, and power density for smaller, lighter, and more reliable space designs. The move to wide-bandgap (WBG) technology provides higher power densities, which allow for higher frequencies, and higher switching speeds and voltages, all while maintaining greater efficiency and reducing thermal concerns, said Sean Darcy, Infineon’s senior director for aerospace and defense.

The new Infineon IR HiRel space GaN devices stand out in a number of applications due to their low R_DS(on) of 4 mΩ typical and total gate charge of 8.8 nanocoulombs (nC) typical, Darcy said. This provides customers with a part that excels in DC-to-DC convertors, point of load, synchronous rectification, and motor drives as well as other applications, in support of on-orbit space vehicles, manned space missions, and deep space probes, he said.

The first three product variations in the rad-hard GaN transistor line are 100-V, 52-A devices featuring an R_DS(on (drain source on resistance) of 4 mΩ (typical) and total gate charge (Qg) of 8.8 nC (typical). The GaN transistors are single event effect (SEE) hardened up to 70 MeV.cm2/mg (Au ion). Two devices, which are not JANS certified, are screened to a TID of 100 krad (IG1NT052N10R) and 500 krad (IG1NT052N10G). The third device (JANSG2N7697UFHC), screened to 500 krad TID, is qualified to the JANS Specification MIL-PRF-19500/794.

This has resulted in a GaN part that is usable up to its full capability and requires no derating up to its maximum gate-to-source and drain-to-source voltages, Darcy said.

Infineon’s rad-hard GaN specifically uses a Schottky gate HEMT structure, which offers improvements in faster switching times and lower switching losses, said Josemari Mapa, product marketing engineer at Infineon. The GaN transistor’s low gate charge enables faster switching and the zero reverse recovery charge increases its efficiency, he added.

The GaN transistor is housed in Infineon’s new flip-chip package, called PowIR-SMD. This is an optimized surface-mount package specifically for rad-hard GaN, Mapa said, and aside of its low package resistance and low inductance, it supports high thermal conductivity and reduced mechanical stress from CTE mismatch with printed circuit boards.

In addition, this GAN PowIR-SMD [39.60 mm²] is about 50 percent smaller in terms of footprint and about 90% lower in inductance compared to SMD-0.5e packaging, he said.

The GaN transistors are fabricated at Infineon’s foundry. “It is important to note that Infineon owns the fab in Europe that manufactures the radiation-hardened wafers, and we are not dependent on external foundries to maintain continuity of supply,” Darcy said.

 DLA JANS certification requires rigorous levels of screening and Quality of Service Class Identifiers to ensure the performance, quality, and reliability required for space flight applications, the company said. Infineon is running multiple lots prior to full JANS production release to ensure long term manufacturing reliability.

The final JANS device will be released in the summer of 2025. Additional JANS parts are planned, expanding available voltages and currents. Engineering samples and evaluation boards are available.

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