Ultra-compact, high-frequency power integrated circuits based on GaN-on-Si Schottky Barrier Diodes

GaN transistors are being employed in an increasing number of applications thanks to their excellent performance and competitive price. Yet, GaN diodes are not commercially available and little is known about their performance and potential impact on power circuit design. In this work, we demonstrate scaled-up GaN-on-Si Tri-Anode Schottky Barrier Diodes (SBDs), whose excellent DC and switching performance are compared to commercial Si fast recovery diodes and SiC SBDs. Moreover, the advantageous lateral GaN-on-Si architecture enables to integrate several devices on the same chip, paving the way to power integrated circuit. This is demonstrated by realizing a diode-multiplier Integrated Circuit (IC), which includes up to 8 monolithically-integrated SBDs on the same chip. The IC was integrated on a DC-DC magnetic-less boost converter able to operate at a frequency of 1 MHz. The IC performance and footprint are compared to the same circuit realized with discrete Si and SiC vertical devices, showing the potential of GaN power ICs for efficient and compact power converters.