Relative to the continuous upgrading of mobile phones and tablets, chargers for accessories have been seldom attracted. However, a new type of technology, gallium nitride, has made the charger attract a wave of heat. The gallium nitride charger is characterized by its small size and high efficiency. Manufacturers quickly applied. So what is GaN and what is the difference between a GaN charger and other chargers? The following will be answered by ZRLK for everyone!
1. What is GaN
Gallium nitride (GaN) is a compound of nitrogen and gallium, with specific semiconductor characteristics. It was early used in light-emitting diodes. It belongs to the same elemental periodic group as commonly used silicon, with high hardness, high melting point, and high stability. Gallium nitride material is an important semiconductor material for the development of microelectronic devices. It has the characteristics of wide band gap and high thermal conductivity. It can be used in chargers to adapt to small transformers and high-power devices with high charging efficiency.
2. The advantages and disadvantages of GaN chargers
Advantages: small size and safety
Compared with the silicon materials of ordinary semiconductors, GaN has a wider band gap and good thermal conductivity, which can match smaller transformers and high-power inductors, so GaN chargers have the advantages of small size, high efficiency, and safety. . In order to achieve faster charging speeds, the power of chargers in recent flagship mobile phone tablets is relatively large, and 40W50W chargers are very common. Higher charging power means that the size of the charger is also becoming larger and the heat is severe.
After switching to GaN technology, the size of the charger can be greatly reduced and it is very portable. At the same time, the GaN charger can also maintain a high-efficiency and low-temperature working state, and the safety is better.
Disadvantages: high cost
The main disadvantage of GaN chargers is the high cost. As a new third-generation compound, gallium nitride has a high synthesis environment. From the manufacturing process, gallium nitride has no liquid state and cannot use the traditional Czochralski method of single crystal silicon to pull out single crystals. It is purely synthesized by gas reaction. It takes more than 1000 degrees to heat metal gallium in the airflow for half an hour to form powdered gallium nitride, so the cost of gallium nitride chargers is higher, and the corresponding price of gallium nitride chargers on the market is also higher than traditional chargers.
3. Application development of GaN charger
Thanks to the emerging technology in the charging industry, gallium nitride chargers are sought after by digital manufacturers as soon as they appear. Well-known mobile phone brands and third-party accessory manufacturers have begun to launch their own gallium nitride chargers. 65W GaN charger will be available soon.
In addition to C-end consumer electronics, the application of GaN in 5G also has great potential. In the 5G era, many micro base stations and intermediate equipment are required. These devices also require more efficient power supply capabilities, and GaN chargers are small and efficient. The advantages will be obvious.
ZRLK provides customers with CCC certification, CB certification, KC certification of gallium nitride chargers, and professional engineers can answer online for you. If you have any questions or are unclear, you can directly contact our company to consult related businesses.
ZRLK Testing Technology Co., Ltd. focuses on the testing and certification of batteries and peripheral consumer products. It is relatively mature to provide certification services for GaN chargers. It also has rich experience in dealing with the problems of product temperature rise and creepage distance failure. If you have relevant testing and certification requirements for CCC certification, CB certification and KC certification of gallium nitride chargers, please contact our company, and professional engineers will answer your questions online.