How FIT is GaN?

EE Times Current

Being a power engineer is like being a soccer goalie: no one notices you unless you fail and let one in. And if you’re controlling enough power, EVERYONE will notice because failure is typically accompanied by a startling bang and a cloud of smoke. Wide Bandgap technology, and GaN in particular, is relatively new, so how can a responsible engineer be convinced that the technology is ready for prime time and avoid an own-goal, particularly in application spaces where lives or big bags of money are riding on uninterrupted operation?

Our guest today is Doug Bailey, VP of Marketing and Applications Engineering at Power Integrations. Mr. Bailey joined Power Integrations in 2004. Prior to joining PI, Mr. Bailey worked in a number of semiconductor marketing roles in Silicon Valley, and in the distant past, designed DSP and image processing ICs.