Japanese electronics giant Renesas has expanded its suite of AC-DC and power adapter products with a GaN-based half-wave LLC (HWLLC) platform that supports 500W or higher across IoT, industrial and infrastructure systems.

The HWLLC converter topology scales an efficient, compact power architecture from 100W-class designs to 500W, enabling high-speed chargers for power tools, e-bikes and other appliances without the size, heat and efficiency penalties of legacy topologies.

The four controller ICs build on Renesas’ proprietary zero-standby power (ZSP) technology. At the heart is the RRW11011 (www.renesas.com/en/products/rrw11011), an interleaved power factor correction (PFC) and HWLLC combo controller engineered for high power density and high efficiency. The PFC with phase-shift control cancels ripple, reduces component size and cost, balances current, and ensures robustness. The combo controller allows designers to lower operating temperature while delivering the output range 5 to 48V required by USB EPR extended power range and other variable-load charging systems.

The range also includes the RRW30120 USB PD power delivery protocol and closed-loop controller, which achieves maximum USB power delivery of 240W, the RRW40120 half-bridge GaN gate driver and the RRW43110 intelligent synchronous rectifier controller. Together in a 240W USB EPR power adapter design, they achieve the claimed highest power density in the industry (3W/cc) and 96.5 per cent peak efficiency.

The HWLLC’s 500W power envelope broadens the addressable charging market to encompass large TVs and monitors, as well as higher-power appliances such as vacuums, power tools, outdoor and industrial lighting, and some medical devices. The topology also helps designers move beyond 100W USB-C charging devices and adopt 240W USB EPR charging to shrink proprietary brick chargers in smartphones, laptops and many gaming systems.

The compact, high-power fast charging technology was recently incorporated into a GaN-based charger from Belkin. The Belkin Z-Charger features a ZSP chip with Renesas’ SuperGaN depletion mode (d-mode) GaN technology.

“The Belkin Z-Charger is a major step towards a new era of ultra-low standby power consumption in fast charging,” said Jenny Ng, general manager of Belkin (www.belkin.com) in Asia.

GaN technology drives the efficiency and power density behind Renesas’ next AC-DC designs, enabling higher switching performance that helps shrink magnetics, reduce losses and keep thermals in check. The SuperGaN d-mode technology employs a cascode configuration that is more robust and easier to drive than other GaN implementations, with a higher threshold voltage and drop-in compatibility with standard silicon gate drivers. The result is a faster path for users to achieve compact, high-efficiency power supplies they can scale, validate and manufacture.

“By developing four advanced controller ICs, we’ve created the most optimised, coordinated ecosystem where each element contributes to higher density, improved thermals, reduced EMI and noise, and greater operating efficiency,” said Rohan Samsi, vice president at Renesas (www.renesas.com).

By eliminating transformer winding and reducing component count versus traditional LLC implementations, Renesas reduces design complexity and enables more compact magnetics. The enhancement accelerates design re-use across product families that support different wattages, voltages and form-factors while improving reliability and easing BoM management.

The four devices are available today as is an evaluation board (www.renesas.com/en/design-resources/boards-kits/ebc10293).