Dialog Semiconductor Bows Space-Saving Gallium Nitride Power IC

Dialog Semiconductor will begin sampling in Q4 its first gallium nitride (GaN) power IC using Taiwan Semiconductor’s 650-volt GaN-on-Silicon process technology, it said in a Thursday news release. The DA8801, with RapidCharge power conversion controllers, will enable more efficient, smaller and higher power density adapters than traditional silicon field-effect transistor-based designs, said the company. Target applications are fast-charging smartphone and computer adapters. The technology allows a reduction in the size of power electronics by up to 50 percent, enabling a typical 45-watt adapter design today to fit into a 25-watt or smaller form factor, clearing the way for “true universal chargers for mobile devices,” it said.