Enphase Energy and Infineon Complete Testing of 900V GaN Switches

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 26, Enphase Energy of the United States and Infineon of Germany confirmed that the 900V gallium nitride (GaN) monolithic bidirectional switch device jointly developed by the two companies has passed testing and is being integrated into Enphase's IQ solid-state transformer (IQ SST) development prototype for AI data centers. Infineon is responsible for device technology and engineering support, while Enphase is responsible for system-level development and validation. The related products are currently in the prototype integration phase, with production qualification certification to follow.

The CoolGaN device used in this project has a rated voltage of 900V and integrates bidirectional voltage blocking and current conduction functions into a single device. Enphase plans to use it in solid-state transformer power modules, enabling the modules to adopt semiconductor devices with rated voltages below 1 kV while supporting high-frequency power conversion. According to the design scheme published by both parties, the new device can reduce the number of series-connected inverters required to handle the same medium-voltage input.

For the DC output architecture, Enphase is developing a high-voltage unidirectional switch solution to complement the 900V GaN technology, with goals including adopting a unipolar 800V DC bus and supporting a future 1500V DC architecture composed of positive and negative 750V. The related design involves optimization of the number of power conversion bridge arms and switching losses, which falls within the scope of subsequent system architecture development.

The two parties previously collaborated in the field of 650V GaN bidirectional switches, with the related technology used in Enphase's IQ9 microinverters. The scope of the 900V device development has now shifted to medium-voltage solid-state transformer power modules, involving device integration and system-level validation at higher operating voltages.