ACCESS Newswire
03 Aug 2021, 18:35 GMT+10
GaN Transistors Powering Space Applications Including Jupiter Exploration, Suborbital Space Travel, and Satellite Communications
OTTAWA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 3, 2021 / GaN Systems, the global leader in GaN (gallium nitride) power semiconductors, today shared the latest space applications and innovations enabled by gallium nitride (GaN) power semiconductors.
The space race is heating up, with Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic and Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has recently launched their first space flights. While these 'New Space' companies are making headlines, 'Old Space' organizations such as government agencies and large, traditional aerospace companies continue to push the boundaries of outer space. All space-related transport and instruments require highly reliable (Hi-Rel) power solutions designed specifically to withstand the harsh environments necessary for space applications.
GaN-powered systems revolutionize capabilities in propulsion systems to meet challenges in high power, high-density motors; avionics systems and subsystem point-of-load converters; and aerospace power and energy storage for power conversion and control, distribution, and transmission. GaN Systems power transistors deliver the efficiency, size, and power-density benefits required for demanding HiRel power applications:
Silicon Has Reached Its Limitations. Now is the Time for GaN. In Space and on Earth. Silicon has reached its limitations in solving critical power systems challenges. GaN transistors are the solution for driving more robust growth and product innovation in space applications, enabling lighter, smaller, lower cost, and more efficient power systems.
The power supplies for spaceborne applications must meet strict size limitations while also handling harsh environments. While some traditional silicon-based solutions have been radiation enhanced to tolerate the environment beyond the Earth's protective shield, they are typically more expensive at both the component and system level, have reduced power density, and result in greater system weight. GaN transistors offer faster power supply switching frequencies, resulting in higher power density, higher efficiency, and more compact and lighter weight circuitry. In addition, GaN is inherently radiation tolerant, another key attribute of GaN transistors used in high-altitude and space applications.
GaN also offers significant cost reductions, enabling organizations to design products that provide high performance while using less material. The result is lighter-weight systems and lower-cost launches. For example, while launches cost the average US $18,500 per kilogram in 2000, this has dropped to approximately US $2,700 per kilogram. NASA is targeting $200 per kilogram and implementing GaN can help achieve that target.
GaN-powered devices deliver the efficiency, size, and power-density benefits required for demanding HiRel power space applications and helping change the way we explore space. Learn more about where GaN Systems power semiconductors are being used in our white paper:2021 Top Technology Predictions in Power Electronics.
Image Credit: NASA
About GaN Systems
GaN Systems is the global leader in GaN power semiconductors with the most extensive transistors portfolio that uniquely addresses the needs of today's most demanding industries, including consumer electronics, data center servers, and power supplies, renewable energy systems, industrial motors, and automotive electronics. As an industry-leading innovator, GaN Systems makes possible the design of smaller, lower cost, more efficient power systems. The company's award-winning products provide system design opportunities free from the limitations of yesterday's silicon. By changing the transistor performance rules, GaN Systems enables power conversion companies to revolutionize their industries and transform the world.
For more information, please visit: www.gansystems.com or on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and scan this QR code for our WeChat.
Media Contact:
Mary Placido
[email protected]
Trier and Company for GaN Systems
415-218-3620
SOURCE: GaN Systems
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