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Legacy Personal Blogs Checking Out GaN Half-Bridge Power Stage: Texas Instruments LMG5200 - Part 1: Preview
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  • Author Author: Jan Cumps
  • Date Created: 17 Jul 2015 1:17 PM Date Created
  • Views 1356 views
  • Likes 9 likes
  • Comments 6 comments
  • lmg5200
  • half_bridge
  • texas_instruments
  • gan
  • half_bridge_drivers
  • fet
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Checking Out GaN Half-Bridge Power Stage: Texas Instruments LMG5200 - Part 1: Preview

Jan Cumps
Jan Cumps
17 Jul 2015

It doesn't have to be silicon all the time. I have a Gallium-nitride device here at the Cumps lab that I'm going to try out. In some high voltage, high power designs, GaN FETs have advantages over Si. On the other hand they are also more difficult to drive.

 

The chip that I have contains a built-in smart GaN FET driver. That takes away the complexities of driving the power stage correctly. We're covering fairly new technology here. The documents are still marked technology preview. I received them from TI after attending a GaN seminar and answering right on the quiz.

 

In this post I'm doing a first try-out. I'm powering a 12V 1.25A load.

 


image

 

What's in the package

 

I'm using a TI LMG5200 GaN Half-Bridge Power Stage. That's a fancy title for what is in essence a 2-FET half-bridge setup with driver logic in a single package.

The driver stage takes care that the not-so-easy to-drive FETs are kept within their safe operation boundaries.

Unlike many integrated smart half and full bridges on the market, you can control the output of the high and low side separately.

 

image

Taken from the technology preview document lmg5200.pdf.

 

These are my very first steps, so I'll focus on trying the driver in this post. I'll cover specifications and technology in a follow up.

 

TI's GaN overview page, Gallium Nitride (GaN) Solutions | Overview for Gallium Nitride (GaN) Solutions, has some good info on the technology.

It's vendor biased info, but I bet you're smart enough to filter that out.

 

 

Starting Up the Half-Bridge

 

I'm using the package on an evaluation board. In essence, that board is an implementation of the reference design (all rules of the 'Layout Considerations for LMG5200 GaN Power Stage' document have been applied).

The only added functionalities are the provisioning for a stable bias supply, an output low pass filter and some logic to generate the high and low driver signals from a single PWM signal.

That evaluation board by itself is good for a few blogs.

 

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image

 

 

The Start Up sequence

 

You need to power up the device in a particular sequence.

  • First you need to bring up the bias voltage.
  • Then you connect the PWM signal
  • Last step is to bring up the input power source.

 

You shutting down in the reverse order.

 

The Set Up

 

My source for power and PWM - and the frequency counter and output voltage meter - is the old trusted (by many untrusted) Metex Universal System MS-9150 (I could do yet another blog about that system, and the hack I've done to it).

The 6 V bias is delivered by it's variable 0-30 V power supply.

20 V input is generated by wiring the fixed 5 V and 15 V supplies in series.

The PWM signal (5 V, 100 kHz -> 2 MHz) is coming from its function generator TTL output. I'm checking the frequency with its universal counter. And I'm verifying output volmtage with its built-in DMM.

 

image

 

I've connected a Rigol DS1052E to the PWM input and the output.

The load is an incandescent 12V 15W bulb.

 

As expected, everything works fine. Any other outcome would be a surprise. The task that I'm giving to the NaG driver is very well within its operating range.

The whole setup stayed nicely under control and nothing got hot on the board.

 

Below are the capture of DC and AC analysis of the output signal. Don't get carried away by the ripple on the AC signal. That's just fine.

We're not testing a regulated DC power supply here. This is a PWM signal that's filtered by a coil and some caps. It will perfectly manage the power sent to the load.

 

DCAC
imageimage

 

The initial exercise was a success. I'm now confident that I can properly drive the GaN IC, and I can start probing a bit deeper under the surface.

 

Related Posts
Part 1: Preview
Part 2: Dead Time Capture
Part 3: Control Deadband with Hercules LaunchPad

Hercules LaunchPad and GaN FETs: Control Big Power with a Flimsy Mouse Scroll Wheel

GaN Point of Load converter 48V to 1V 50A - part 1: Design Overview
on TI E2E community: driving GaN with a simple PWM signal
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Top Comments

  • clem57
    clem57 over 8 years ago +3
    Maybe I can come be an helper, since you have more "things" to play with. Clem
  • Jan Cumps
    Jan Cumps over 8 years ago +1
    I've added the video part. www.youtube.com/watch When you have internet savvy kids and partners at home, you can't just go upload videos when they are awake. Makes you a not so popular family member
  • jw0752
    jw0752 over 8 years ago +1
    Hi Jan, Thank you for the great informative post on the LMG5200. John
  • scottiebabe
    scottiebabe 1 month ago

    Excellent action shot. Great work. 

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  • clem57
    clem57 over 8 years ago

    Maybe I can come be an helper, since you have more "things" to play with.

    Clem

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  • jw0752
    jw0752 over 8 years ago

    Hi Jan,

    Thank you for the great informative post on the LMG5200.

    John

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  • Jan Cumps
    Jan Cumps over 8 years ago

    I've added the video part.

    This video is unavailable.
    You don't have permission to edit metadata of this video.

     

    When you have internet savvy kids and partners at home, you can't just go upload videos when they are awake. Makes you a not so popular family member image

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  • Jan Cumps
    Jan Cumps over 8 years ago in reply to DAB

    DAB, a good strong DC motor (brushless or brushfull) is what's missing in my toolbox.

    I had a InstaSpin/FoC Piccolo LaunchPad for a while, but I've given it away because I don't have the proper motor to test it with.

    My skills on driving motors any other than your standard DC brushed ones  are low.

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