Transphorm Releases Latest High Voltage GaN Reliability Data

Transphorm, Inc. (OTCQB: TGAN)—a pioneer in and global supplier of high reliability, high performance gallium nitride (GaN) power conversion products—today released updated information regarding its GaN technology’s quality and reliability (Q+R). Currently, Transphorm’s GaN platform offers a FIT rate of < 1 failure per billion hours in real-world applications—indicating very high reliability. The FIT calculation is based on more than 10 billion (10B) field hours of operation accumulated from an install base of approximately 250 megawatts (MW).

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A recently launched smartphone powered by universal, fast charging adapters using Transphorm's GaN FETs. (Photo: Business Wire)

Transphorm’s devices are in use today across a wide range of applications spanning 65 W to 3 kW. Examples include universal, fast charging adapters for smartphones and laptops; rugged, broad industrial power modules; and 1.5 to 3.0 kW Titanium class data center power supplies, which meet the high power efficiency ecodesign requirements mandated by The European Parliament and The Council (ErP: Directive 2009/125/EC).

Transphorm GaN vs. SiC Reliability

Silicon Carbide (SiC) power devices are an alternative power conversion solution and in a later stage of maturation than power GaN solutions. Although SiC offers more than a trillion hours of field operation compared to Transphorm GaN’s 10B hours due to being commercially available longer, recent reports indicate that SiC’s Field Failure FIT rate is 4.1.¹ This illustrates the excellent field reliability achieved to date by Transphorm’s GaN with a FIT of < 1.

In-house Reliability = In-field Reliability = Accuracy

Extrinsic Reliability, also referred to as Early Life Failure (ELF) or Infant Mortality, is determined via in-house manufacturer analysis—identifying material, design, and process control defects that may cause parts to fail. Alternatively, Field Failure measures the number of devices that fail in customer systems in production in relation to the total number of parts sold.

When assessing FIT rate, the above two metrics—ELF and Field Failure—are studied. The convergence of these two rates means a semiconductor manufacturer’s internal reliability assessments are accurate; a customer can have confidence in that reported level of device performance.