Very-High current gallium nitride transconductance amplifiers

皇后大学和Guildline Instruments之间的这个CRD项目的目标是开发下一代TCAs放大器（TCAs）技术，该技术使用氮化镓（GaN）晶体管，从DC到1 MHz提供100 Amps的输出电流。电力公司使用大电流TCA来校准其功率流量计。电弧焊接设备是TCA的另一个重要市场，需要高电流来局部熔化待焊接的材料。粒子加速器，如大型强子对撞机，使用TCA产生电流脉冲，产生磁场，推动亚原子粒子达到光速。目前市场上的高电流TCA使用多达20个较小TCA“单元”的并联布置，因为硅晶体管在高频下可以提供的输出电流量方面受到限制。GaN晶体管可以提供高达千兆赫频率的极高漏极电流，同时由于半导体的高电子迁移率和高能带隙而表现出高击穿电压。GaN提供了将构建100 μ m系统所需的并行TCA电池的数量从20个显著减少到大约5个的潜力。这意味着该装置的成本、尺寸和功耗都有了显著的改善，这反过来又使Guildline Instruments处于一个非常有利的位置，在竞争激烈的市场中处于领先地位，为国家研究实验室、国家计量机构、军队、核电站、航空航天以及电力和电力行业的公司提供服务。通过这个项目，将培养三名学生：一名博士生和两名本科生。学生将获得微电子电路设计，高功率技术，测试和测量方面的宝贵技能。

The objective of this CRD project between Queen's University and Guildline Instruments is to develop technology for next-generation transconductance amplifiers (TCAs) using gallium nitride (GaN) transistors to deliver 100 Amps of output current from DC to 1 MHz. High-current TCAs are used by power companies to calibrate their power flow meters. Arc welding equipment is another important market for TCAs where high currents are needed to locally melt the materials to be bonded. And particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider use TCAs to generate the current pulses that produce the magnetic fields that propel subatomic particles to light speed. High-current TCAs available on the market today use a parallel arrangement of up to twenty smaller TCA 'cells' because silicon transistors are limited in the amount output current they can deliver at high frequencies. GaN transistors can source very high drain currents up to gigahertz frequencies while simultaneously exhibiting high breakdown voltages as a result of the semiconductor's high electron mobility and high energy bandgap. GaN offers the potential to significantly reduce the number of parallel TCA cells needed to build a 100 Amp system from twenty to about five. This represents a significant improvement in the cost, size and power consumption of the unit which will, in turn, place Guildline Instruments in a very good position to lead in a highly competitive market that serves national research laboratories, national metrology institutes, militaries, nuclear power plants, aerospace, and companies in the electrical and power industry. Through this project, three students will be trained: one doctoral and two undergraduates. The students will gain valuable skills in microelectronic circuit design, high-power techniques, test and measurement.