Active Clamp Flyback Using GaN Power IC for

Power Adapter Applications

Linqxiao (Lincoln) Xue, Staff Applications Engineer, lingxiao.xue@navitassemi.com
Jason Zhang, VP Applications, jason.zhang@navitassemi.com
March 29th 2017
How to Improve Power Adapter Density?
Traditional Travel Adapter and Chargers USB PD and Quick Charge

5 W/in3 7 W/in3
Samsung 25 W Apple 45 W
> 20 W/in3

• Added power in USB PD and Quick Charge requires dramatically higher

power density (>20 W/in3)
• Higher efficiency and lower power loss are required in high density adapters
• How to dramatically improve the power density?

2
Outline

• Limitations of standard flyback

• Active clamp flyback’s benefits and drawbacks
• Improvement of active clamp flyback (ACF)
• GaN half-bridge power IC enables high density ACF
• Experimental results and conclusion

3
QR Flyback Hits Performance Ceiling
Lossy RCD clamp Vsw Lossy hard switching
iLr id

iLm
iLm
 VSW

S1 iLr

id

S1 ON S1 OFF Resonant
• Frequency-dependent losses for valley
• Leakage inductance loss switching

• Snubber/clamp losses
• Partial hard-switching loss at high line
• Slow turn-on loss to minimize EMI
• Difficult to improve efficiency at high frequency
4
ACF Enables ZVS and High Frequency Switching
Lossless snubber
Zero-voltage switching
iLm Vsw
S2
Vsw
S1 Zero-current switching
iLm iLr

• No snubber losses, all leakage energy is recovered

• ZVS soft switching over entire operation range
• ZCS soft turn-off for output rectifier
• Clean waveforms reduce EMI
• Enable small adapter design with high-frequency switching
5
ACF Operation
iLr iD S1 ON S2 ON
n:1
iLr iD/n
iLm VO Vsw
Cr
S2 - iLm
VIN Vsw V
Cr + Cr nVo Zero-current
S1 iLm Switching
iLr = 0 iLr
(ZCS)
t=∞
- iLm iD
V =nVo
Cr + Cr nVo

• Lr resonates with Cr during S2 ON interval

• ZVS is achieved by magnetizing inductance current VCr nVo
• Rectifier current is the difference between iLm and iLr
• iLr returns to iLm by the end of S2 ON interval for rectifier ZCS
6
Drawbacks of Traditional ACF
QR ACF
Increased primary
iLr iLr RMS current

Rectifier current double

iD dips, confusing SR

iLr (1 A/div) iD (5 A/div)

• Difficult to shape the current to achieve
ZCS and minimize rms current
• Conduction loss is high
• Not compatible with SR controllers

7
 New ACF Using Secondary Resonance
Big Cr, small Co S1 ON
iD S2 ON
iLr n:1
VO iLr iD/n
iLm Co IO
Cr Vsw
VIN
S2
Vsw VCr iLm nVo - IO/n
Co/n2 +
S1
iLr=iLm-Io/n Io/n iLm iLm-Io/n
t=∞ Zero-current
nVo - IO/n iLr Switching (ZCS)
VCr iLm
+
iD
• S1 ON interval is the same as primary resonant
• In S2 ON interval
• Co/n2 << Cr , Co resonates with Lr VCr
• iLr centers around a line lower but in parallel with iLm nVo
• ZCS is easily achieved. No rectifier current double dipping 8
New ACF Simplifies SR and Reduces Current RMS

iLr (1 A/div) iD (5 A/div)

iLm
iLr

iD

• iLr current can be easily shaped

• No rectifier current dipping issue. Simplifies SR
• Reduced rms current and conduction loss
9
Experimental Result of RMS Reduction
Pri. Resonant Pri. Resonant

iLr Sec. Resonant iD

Sec. Resonant

TX Primary Current iLr(rms)* TX Secondary Current iD(rms)*

1.1 4.2
1 3.9

Cuurent (A)
Current (A)

0.9 Pri. Resonant 3.6 Pri. Resonant

0.8 24% 3.3 11%
0.7 Sec. Resonant reduction 3 reduction
0.6 Sec. Resonant
2.7
100 150 200 250 300 350 100 150 200 250 300 350
Input Voltage (V) Input Voltage (V)
*Measured results of 45W ACF 10
Efficiency Benefit of New ACF

Total Power Loss (W) Efficiency

3.8 95.0%
Pri. Resonant Sec. Resonant
3.6
94.5%
Power Loss (W)

3.4 Sec. Resonant

94.0%
3.2
3 93.5% Pri. Resonant
2.8 93.0%
2.6 92.5%
2.4
92.0%
100 150 200
199.9 250 299.75
249.8 300 349.7
350
100 150 200 250 300 350
Input Voltage (V)
Input Voltage (V)

• 0.4 W power loss reduction

• ~0.8% efficiency improvement *Measured results of 45W ACF 11
 Advantages of Using GaN in ACF
GaN: NV6260 IPA60R299CP NV6260 (per FET)
iLr Voltage Rating (V) 650 650
-0.2A RDS(ON) 270 160
Co(tr) (pF) 120 50
Qg (nC) 22 2.5
iLr (1 A/div) VSR (20 V/div) VSW (100 V/div)
1 μs/div Qrr (nC) 3900 0
iLr(RMS) = 0.9A

Si: IPA60R299CP • GaN ACF needs only 0.2A negative current

for ZVS vs. Si’s 0.5A
iLr
-0.5A • GaN ACF RMS is only 0.9A vs. Si’s 1.1A
• GaN has no body diode loss
iLr (1 A/div) VSR (20 V/div) VSW (100 V/div)
1 μs/div
• Low high-frequency gate-charge loss
iLr(RMS) = 1.1A
12
Half-Bridge iDrive GaN Power IC

• Internal level-shift, bootstrap

• Range from 150-600 mOhm (650V)
• Single component
• Ground-referenced PWM signals
• Active Clamp Flyback, Half-Bridge, LLC, etc.

13
GaN Power IC Simplifies ACF

NV6260

GaN IC

14
 GaN Power IC Efficiency Advantage

Power Loss: GaN vs. Si

4.5
Efficiency: GaN vs. Si
3.9 95.0%
4 Si GaN
Power Loss (W)

94.5%
3.5 3.3 GaN 94.0%
3 93.1% Si
93.5%
2.5 93.0%
2 92.5%
92.0% 91.9%
1.5
100 150 200 250 300 349.55
350 91.5%
99.8 149.8 199.8 249.8 299.6 99.8 149.8 199.8 249.8 299.8 349.8
Input Voltage (V) Input Voltage (V)

• GaN reduces power loss by 0.6W

• GaN boosts efficiency by 1.2%
*Measured results of 45W ACF 15
 High Density 65W Adapter Using ACF and GaN
2.63 x 1.32 x 0.62 in Efficiency at 65W
95.0% 94.5%
Power density 22 W/in3 (including case) 94.0%
94.0%
94.4%
93.0%
92.6%
92.0%
91.0%
90.0%
90 120 150 180 210 240
Input AC Voltage (V)
Diode bridge: GaN IC
90.9°C 84.1°C
90VAC, 65W 90VAC, 65W

Tansformer
75.1°C
90VAC, 65W 16
Conclusion
• USB-PD and QC demand high density solutions
• QR flyback hits performance ceiling
• ACF overcomes QR limitations and enables high frequency operation
• New ACF using secondary resonance improves ACF’s operation and
efficiency
• GaN is uniquely suitable for high frequency operation
• Half-Bridge GaN Power IC simplifies ACF design and improves density
• An example of 65W ACF adapter using GaN and secondary resonance
achieves 22W/in3 density, while meeting thermal and EMI requirement

Navitas Confidential 17
Active Clamp Flyback Using GaN Power IC for
Power Adapter Applications
Linqxiao (Lincoln) Xue, Staff Applications Engineer, linxiao.xue@navitassemi.com
Jason Zhang, VP Applications, jason.zhang@navitassemi.com
March 29th 2017
Backup

19
Waveform: QR vs. ACF
QR
flyback

Active
clamp
flyback

20
Startup in CCM and Hard-Switching
• Start-up in CCM: hard-switched, body diode reverse recovery..

iLr (2A/div)
Vsw (100V/div)
iLm

Navitas GaN
Half Bridge IC

21
 Lr Resonant Interval
iLr n:1
nVCo-VCr  nVCo-VCr
+ - iLm iSR + -
Cr Co
- i iSR  iLr iSR - nV
VCr Lr iLm VCr iLm Co
Cr + nVCo 2 +
Co/n


S1 OFF
S2 ON Initially resonates up S1 OFF
iLm S2 ON
iLm
0 0 Initially resonates down
iLr Primary Resonant iLr
• Cr << Co/n2 Secondary Resonant
• SR double turn-on iSR • Cr >> Co/n2
iSR
0 0 • No SR double turn-
VCr VCr on
nVCo Initially nVCo > VCr
nVCo
nVCo Initially nVCo < VCr
VCr
22
ACF Primary Current Dip
iLr iD
iLr Cj iLr

iLm
iLm iLm Cj
 Coss Coss

 Coss Coss

Current dip
Cj/Coss = 0.5
iLr iLm Cj/Coss = 1 iLm
• Bigger Cj/Coss
Cj/Coss = 2
bigger current dip
S1 ON
(S2 OFF)
S1 OFF
(S2 ON)
• Why is current dip
important?
23
Current Dip Benefits
less dip How to Maximize
iLm SR double turn-on iLr Dip
iLr
SR single turn-on
SR single turn-on Maximize
iLr
Cj/Coss

iLr More dip

Cj  Coss 

ZVS Use better

• Current dip  • Current dip  current  device: GaN
SR double turn-on  RMS value iLr(RMS) 
 
24
Current Dip: Adding 2.2nF Cj
Original

iLr(500 mA/div) Vsw (100 V/div) VSR (20 V/div)

1 μs/div
iLr(RMS) = 0.74A
Added 2.2nF

iLr(500 mA/div) Vsw (100 V/div) VSR (20 V/div)

i = 0.66A 1 μs/div
Lr(RMS)
25