Renesas Electronics Co., Ltd. in Tokyo, Japan has introduced the industry's first two-way switch based on depletion-mode (d-mode)GaN technology. The device blocks both positive and negative currents in a single device and integrates DC blocking.
This product is aimed at the single-stage solar micro-inverter, AI data center and on-board electric vehicle charger markets. The high-voltage model TP65B110HRU simplifies power converter design, replacing traditional back-to-back FET switch combinations with a single low-loss, fast-switching and easy-to-drive device.
Existing high-power conversion designs usually use unidirectional silicon or silicon carbide (SiC) switches, which can only block current in one direction when in the off state. Therefore, the power conversion must be divided into multiple stages, including multiple switching bridge circuits. For example, a typical solar microinverter uses a four-switch full bridge to convert DC to DC at the first stage, followed by a second stage that produces the final AC output for integration into the grid.
While the electronics industry is moving toward more efficient single-stage converters, engineers still have to overcome inherent switching limitations. Many single-stage designs today use traditional unidirectional switches connected back-to-back, resulting in a fourfold increase in the number of switches and reduced efficiency. Renesas said that bidirectional GaN technology has completely changed the landscape. By integrating bidirectional blocking on a single GaN product, power conversion can be done in a single stage with fewer switching devices.
Taking a typical solar micro-inverter as an example, only two high-voltage Renesas SuperGaN bidirectional devices are required to eliminate the intermediate DC link capacitance and halve the number of switches. In addition, GaN products have fast switching speeds and less stored charge, enabling higher switching frequencies and higher power densities. In practical single-stage solar microinverter applications, the new GaN architecture demonstrates a power efficiency of more than 97.5 percent, eliminating the effects of back-to-back connections and slow silicon switching.
Renesas' field-proven 650V SuperGaN devices are based on proprietary normally-off technology and are said to be simple to drive and highly robust. TP65B110HRU co-package a high-voltage bidirectional d-mode GaN chip with two low-voltage silicon MOSFETs with high 3V threshold voltage, high ± 20V gate margin, and built-in body diodes for efficient reverse conduction.
Compared with enhancement-mode (e-mode) bidirectional GaN devices, Renesas bidirectional GaN switches are compatible with standard gate drivers without negative bias. This means a simpler gate loop design, lower cost, and fast and stable switching with no performance penalty in both soft and hard switching operations.
Power conversion topologies that require hard switching (such as Vienna-style rectifiers) can benefit from their high dv/dt capability of> 100V/ns, achieving minimal ringing effects and short delays during switching transitions. Renesas says its GaN devices enable true bidirectional switches with high robustness, high performance and ease of use.
Rohan Samsi, vice president of Renesas' GaN business, said: "Extending our SuperGaN technology to the bidirectional GaN platform marks a significant shift in power conversion design specifications. Customers can now use fewer switch components to achieve higher efficiency, reduce PCB area and reduce system cost. At the same time, they can accelerate the design process by leveraging Renesas' system-level integration with gate drivers, controllers, and power management ICs.
Renesas is showcasing the latest bidirectional GaN switches and its increasingly rich portfolio of smart power solutions in booth number 1219 at the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC 2026, March 22-25) in San Antonio, Texas, USA. TP65B110HRU bidirectional GaN switches are now available in volume. Customers can also purchase RTDACHB0000RS-MS-1 evaluation kits to test different drive options, detect AC zero crossings, and implement ZVS soft switching.
Renesas offers 500W solar microinverters and three-phase Vienna rectifier system solutions that combine the new GaN bidirectional switch with many compatible devices in its portfolio. These "preferred combinations" are technology-proven system architectures made up of mutually compatible devices that work together to achieve optimized, low-risk designs and faster time to market. Renesas offers more than 400 preferred portfolio solutions covering a wide range of portfolio products to help customers speed up the design process and bring products to market faster.
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