Chipmaker Dialog Semiconductor PLC has introduced its first gallium nitride (GaN) power IC product targeted at the fast-charging smartphone and computing adapter segment.
Using Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp.’s (TSMC) 650 V GaN-on-silicon process technology, the DA8801 power chip features Dialog’s digital rapid-charge power conversion controller to enable smaller, more efficient power density adapters, compared to traditional silicon field-effect transistor-based designs, Dialog says.
The power IC includes building blocks such as gate drivers and level-shifting circuits to deliver a semiconductor that reduces power losses up to 50% with up to 94% power efficiency, the company says. The DA8801 also allows the size of the power electronics to be reduced by up to 50%, allowing a typical 45W adapter design to fit into a 25W or smaller form factor. Dialog says this reduction in size will allow designers to build true universal chargers for mobile devices.
The DA8801 will be available for sampling beginning in the fourth quarter of this year.
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