Maximizing the Performance of 650-V p-GaN Gate HEMTs: Dynamic RON Characterization and Circuit Design Considerations

The systematic characterization of a 650-V/13-A enhancement-mode GaN power transistor with p-GaN gate is presented. Critical device parameters such as ON-resistance R-ON and threshold voltage V-TH are evaluated under both static and dynamic (i.e., switching) operating conditions. The dynamic R-ON is found to exhibit different dependence on the gate drive voltage V-GS from the static R-ON. While reasonably suppressed at higher V-GS of 5 and 6 V, the degradation in dynamic R-ON is significantly larger at lower V-GS of 3-4 V, which is attributed to the positive shift in V-TH under switching operations. In addition to characterization of discrete devices, a custom-designed double-pulse test circuit with 400-V, 10-A test capability is built to evaluate the transient switching performance of the p-GaN gate power transistors. Optimal gate drive conditions are proposed to: 1) provide sufficient gate over-drive to minimize the impact of the V-TH shift on the dynamic R-ON; and 2) leave enough headroom to save the device from excessive gate stresses. Moreover, gate drive circuit design and board layout considerations are also discussed by taking into account the fast switching characteristics of GaN devices.