System Co-design of a 600V GaN FET Power Stage with Integrated Driver in a QFN System-in-Package (QFN-SiP)

The adoption of GaN technology, in power electronic applications, is greatly facilitated by its inherent performance benefits as compared to its MOSFET counterparts. The ability to co-integrate controller and multiple passives, along with the GaN FETs on standard, cost-effectiveness, QFN-Module/SiP packaging technology, helps to further support GaN-based system proliferation. However, these benefits can easily be outweighed if system co-design practices, to minimize components interaction, are not adopted early in the design process. In this paper we present the electrical system co-design and measurement validation results of a high-performance 600V 70mΩ GaN transistor with integrated gate driver packaged in a 32-pin 8.00mm × 8.00mm QFN-SiP package. Due to the complex system-in-package (SiP) integration electromagnetic interactions between driver/FET, package, and PCB are exacerbated, compromising benefits of integration and system performance. We detail here how optimization of the system, was achieved through a coupled circuit-to-electromagnetic co-design modeling and simulation methodology. Laboratory measurements on a 600V driver-integrated GaN 70mΩ FET power stage for power conversion are presented that validate the integrity of the co-design modeling and simulation methodology.