Texas Instruments (TI) has unveiled what it claims is the first family of radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant half-bridge gallium nitride (GaN) field-effect transistor (FET) gate drivers for space-grade systems like satellites.
The drivers support up to 200 V operation and allow engineers to design satellite power systems for all types of missions.
TI said that satellites are increasingly complex and to meet the demand for more on-orbit processing and data transmission, higher-resolution imaging and more precise sensing, these devices need to maximize electrical power system efficiency. The gate drivers improve power-supply size and density as well as have fast rise and fall times, TI said.
These features allow satellites to more effectively use power generated by solar cells during space missions.
Other benefits offered by the gate drivers include:
- Improvement of electrical performance
- Extension of mission lifetimes
- Reduction in satellite mass and volume
- Minimization of thermal overload
“Satellites perform critical missions, from providing global internet coverage to monitoring climate and shipping activity, enabling humans to better understand and navigate the world,” said Javier Valle, product line manager for space power products at TI. “Our new portfolio enables satellites in low, medium and geosynchronous earth orbits to operate in the harsh environment of space for an extended period of time, all while maintaining high levels of power efficiency.”
