Microchip launches radiation-tolerant GaN converter for spacecraft

(SpaceEnergy) US semiconductor manufacturer Microchip Technology has introduced a radiation-tolerant gallium nitride power converter designed for spacecraft electronics, with production quantities available immediately, the company announced on 14 October.

The POL-05-20S-T point-of-load converter delivers up to 20A of continuous output current and is intended for increasingly power-intensive onboard processing systems.

The device uses gallium nitride (GaN) power components to provide high efficiency and power density while reducing the mass and space required for electrical power management.

It weighs 25g and measures approximately 38.4mm × 38.4mm × 11.4mm.

The converter accepts input voltages between 4.75V and 13.2V and provides adjustable output voltages from 0.7V to 5V.

Microchip said the device is designed to supply field-programmable gate arrays, microcontrollers, application-specific integrated circuits and other processing-intensive electronics requiring rapid responses to changing electrical loads.

Its electrical parameters are specified before and after exposure to a total ionising radiation dose of 50krad.

The converter has also been characterised for single-event effects at linear energy transfer levels up to 43MeV·cm²/mg.

It operates at full load across temperatures ranging from minus 55°C to 100°C.

Additional features include remote voltage sensing, overvoltage and undervoltage protection, controlled start-up and output-voltage regulation.

Microchip said the product extends its existing spacecraft power portfolio, which includes DC-DC converters, electromagnetic interference filters and radiation-tolerant processing components.

The company has not identified customers, satellite programmes or flight qualification milestones associated with the new converter.