The demand for high power wireless transfer is surging at an estimated compound annual rate in excess of 60%*. The primary applications driving the demand for wireless power transmission (WPT) are integrated solutions for charging individual battery-enabled devices and charging multiple devices simultaneously. The most effective WPT integrated solutions are high-frequency (6.78 and 13.56 MHz) Class E and EF designs that use gallium nitride (GaN) transistors to reduce systems size 2-3 times and to reduce charging system cost. To satisfy the requirement for optimally performing GaN transistors in Class E and EF designs, GaN Systems’ customers are using the company’s well-established family of 650 V, E-HEMTs. This family of transistors provides the ideal solution that enables efficient resonant wireless charging at power levels from 20 W to 2,500 W.

(Photo courtesy of GaN Systems)

By recently joining the AirFuel Alliance, GaN Systems also is contributing to the advancement of WPT by offering its market perspective to the evolution of resonant charging standards. The company’s perspective is greatly influenced by its customers’ adoption of GaN transistors in a diverse range of applications, including wireless charging laptops, multiple phones, tablets, drones, E-bikes, industrial robots, appliances and automobiles.

Two examples of wireless power transfer systems enabled by GaN Systems’ transistors include:

• A 250 W, 13.56 MHz transmitter from the Imperial College London that wirelessly powers a non-battery equipped airborne drone in real-time

• A best-in-class, AirFuel-compliant wireless transmitting platform capable of charging multiple phones, tablets, and laptops, scalable and adaptable for use in toolboxes, factory robots and more

Visitors attending the following two upcoming conferences will be able to see demonstrations of these devices, view customer-built commercial WPT systems, and to discuss using GaN transistors in their designs:

• Electronica Shanghai; March 14-16, in Booth #E4.4212

• 2017 Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC); March 27-29, Booth #1501

Paul Wiener, VP of Strategic Marketing at GaN Systems, noted, “We continually learn from our customers who are designing GaN transistors into their commercial applications at an astounding rate. And we are eager to take that knowledge to the AirFuel Alliance in order to work toward constructing meaningful charging standards that power design engineers can implement.”