STMicroelectronics has launched the MasterGaN6 series, the second generation of its MasterGaN half-bridge power ICs. These system-in-package devices combine an upgraded BCD gate driver with a high-performance GaN transistor featuring a 140 mΩ RDS(on).
Compared to previous MasterGaN products, MasterGaN6 adds dedicated pins for fault reporting and standby control, enhancing system monitoring and energy management. The devices also include low-dropout regulators and a bootstrap diode, reducing the need for external components.
The gate driver supports fast switching with low propagation delay and minimal on-time, enabling high-frequency operation and smaller circuit designs. Ultra-fast wake-up allows efficient burst-mode performance, improving light-load efficiency.
Built-in protections include cross-conduction prevention, thermal shutdown, and under-voltage lockout, helping designers reduce BOM costs, shrink PCB size, and simplify layouts.
MasterGaN6 handles up to 10 A and is suitable for consumer and industrial applications such as battery chargers, adapters, lighting power supplies, and DC-to-AC solar micro-inverters. Its half-bridge design works across various topologies, including active-clamp flyback, resonant LLC, inverse buck, and power factor correction.
Designers can test the devices using the EVLMG6 evaluation board, and the MasterGaN6 model is supported in the eDesignSuite PCB Thermal Simulator for thermal analysis and design validation. The devices are in production in a compact 9 mm × 9 mm QFN package.
