Knowledge is a Shared Adventure

12.7.2023

By Andrea Bricconi – Chief Commercial Officer, Cambridge GaN Devices

‘Knowledge’ is a huge and broad subject, so it is important to define what we really mean if the term is to have value. Knowledge must encompass all activities - technology, applications, supplier partners, and, vitally, internal communications. But above all, knowledge must be a collaborative endeavour.

Knowledge is one of the key pillars upon which Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD) is built. Given our history as a spin-out from Cambridge University, it is demonstrable that there is significant technical knowledge within the company. This starts at the very heart of the subject at the device physics level as a result of the work our CTO, Florin Udrea, has undertaken within the world-renowned High Voltage Microelectronics and Sensor (HVMS) group at Cambridge University.

But I am very clear in my mind that although we have a very deep knowledge of device physics, when it comes to the applications, we will never be better than our customers. Therefore, to bring a compelling solution to the market, we must listen to customers, we must talk to them and understand their pain points, and jointly assess the strengths and weaknesses of a given technology, in order to improve it.

Let’s look at a simple example. From the very beginning of the GaN story, people have talked about how the simultaneous achievement of high-frequency operation and high efficiency is finally possible because switching losses are minimized - for a number of reasons related to the nature of GaN switches - which helps for many converter topologies. And because it’s possible to work at hundreds of kiloHertz at high efficiency, the volume of a given power converter can be shrunk because the size of the magnetics and passives can be minimised and the thermals can be managed. But to operate a high frequency, controllers that also work at similarly high frequencies are required, which is not so obvious. And different magnetics, perhaps planar or embedded, may be required. So yes, GaN is an enabler, but an entire ecosystem - including PCB design and component selection – is required if industry is to take advantage of GaN’s capabilities to make high frequency a reality. If you only go to a customer with devices demonstrating 1MHz operation, that's worth very little in most cases; it's just a starting point.

Another example is motor drives. Applications like this routinely operate at very low frequencies - under 20kHz. If we were to say ‘Why don't you go to 1MHz, customers would reject the suggestion, because there are simply too many other elements that must be considered, including the motor itself. So we must make a joint effort with our customers and the rest of the supply chain to improve at every level.

However, I would urge designers not to regard GaN as a complex technology. At CGD, one of our goals is to understand our customers’ pain points and then offer solutions that mitigate any challenges users might face when implementing the technology. That is why we have made our ICeGaN™ GaN HEMTs easy to use, with onboard logic, protection circuitry, and very rugged performance. The knowledge that we're bringing concerning robustness, reliability, sensing and control makes our technology forgiving of poor PCB design and unpredictable over-stresses, suiting it for use at various power levels and frequencies…and applications. Our customers can design their circuits with more degrees of freedom than if using standard eMode GaN HEMTs. The knowledge ecosystem also includes manufacturing partners. For instance, our chosen foundry partner, TSMC, is very focused on delivering high-quality GaN platforms for compelling and challenging applications. But it is a two-way process, and we work together them and the whole supply chain to improve and update processes, test procedures and in-process evaluations so that their next platform generation will be a significant step forward.

Finally – but possibly most importantly – there is the knowledge that can be gained from excellent internal communication. At CGD, we dedicate much time and effort into training people from different departments and locations to communicate - to share -, for example, technical knowledge. We don’t want ‘super gurus’ to keep everything to themselves. Ideas and new concepts can come from anywhere…but only if we are all talking.

Of course, you have to protect the company’s valuable IP. But generally, the more knowledge that can be shared, the better. Truly innovative customers understand this – they know that the more they can share with us, the better support we’ll be able to deliver, and we can jointly improve the results they achieve from their products. True innovators, typically, are not afraid to share knowledge.

Perhaps that concept is more straightforward for a relatively new company such as CGD to embrace. Big companies often try to teach their customers what to do. However, as a young company, we know we have to listen and learn, as well as guide.

As Benjamin Franklin once said: “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”