Interview with Lana Lazareva, Business Developer, MinDCet
GaN power devices offer fast switching and high efficiency, but the gate-driver circuitry that controls them must operate reliably through demanding voltage transients and tight timing requirements. MinDCet has built more than a decade of GaN gate-driver design experience into a reusable IP starting point that can be adapted for customer-specific ASIC developments.
In this AnySilicon IP Vendor Spotlight, MinDCet explains the design challenge, how its GaN Gate Driver IP is used, where it has already reached production, and what prospective customers should prepare before a first technical discussion.
AT A GLANCE
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Company |
MinDCet |
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Headquarters |
Leuven, Belgium |
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Featured technology |
GaN Gate Driver IP, demonstrated in the MDC901 200V Gan Gate Driver |
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Representative applications |
Industrial, automotive and space |
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Interviewee |
Lana Lazareva, Business Developer |
MinDCet is an analog and mixed-signal IC design company supporting customers from concept to production-tested silicon. It provides both block-level design services and full turnkey ASIC development, covering architecture, design and layout, foundry selection, production support, characterization, qualification and test development.
Power electronics is at the core of MinDCet’s expertise, ranging from high-voltage and high-power applications above 650 V to ultra-low-power solutions. The company also specializes in GaN-based ICs for advanced power conversion and high-reliability ICs for harsh environments, including radiation-hardened and high-temperature applications.
Website: www.mindcet.com | AnySilicon profile: anysilicon.com/vendors/mindcet/
MinDCet’s GaN Gate Driver IP provides the interface between the system controller and high- and low-side GaN power transistors. Based on the MDC901, the IP combines high-current gate drive, integrated level shifting, floating regulators, programmable dead-time control and a charge pump for 100% duty-cycle operation.
It was designed specifically for the fast switching and demanding voltage transients of GaN devices. The architecture enables precise and reliable transistor control, reduces switching losses and supports compact, high-performance power conversion systems. MinDCet says it has developed multiple GaN gate drivers for customers, tailoring each design to the requirements of the individual project.
Figure 1. MDC901 block diagram supplied by MinDCet.
What specific design problem does this IP solve, and why is that problem difficult for chip designers?
Designing a GaN gate driver is challenging because GaN devices switch very fast and require precise control, the gate driver must also handle high voltage levels and transients. Developing this functionality from scratch requires experience, and significant design and simulation effort. MinDCet’s GaN Gate Driver IP gives our designers a proven starting point, helping to reduce development time and risk.
What is one important technical or commercial difference between your IP and the alternatives available to customers?
MinDCet is a design house with more than 10 years of experience in GaN gate drivers. That experience is the foundation of the IP and the customer-specific designs built from it.
What does a customer receive when using the IP in a custom ASIC development?
Rather than developing the GaN gate-driver functionality entirely from scratch, MinDCet builds on its existing GaN gate-driver IP and experience and adapts it as part of the customer’s ASIC development. This proven starting point reduces development risk and shortens the development timeline. The customer owns the resulting ASIC design and receives the agreed design deliverables and documentation as part of the ASIC development project.
Which foundries, process nodes or technology flows are most relevant to this IP?
The GaN Gate Driver IP is based on MinDCet’s experience in developing GaN and high-voltage ICs across different semiconductor processes. The IP is not tied to a single process node or foundry and can be adapted to the technology selected for the customer’s ASIC. Its implementation is portable at the design level, while MinDCet’s previous GaN gate-driver designs provide silicon experience. The IP can also be integrated as part of a larger customer-specific ASIC.
What proof point demonstrates the maturity or value of the IP?
MinDCet has already developed several GaN gate-driver ASICs for customers that are now in production, with applications in automotive, industrial and space markets. The company has also productized its GaN gate-driver expertise in the MDC901, a 200 V high- and low-side GaN gate driver. The MDC901 is a ready-to-use option for customers who want to benefit from MinDCet’s GaN gate-driver technology but do not currently have a custom IC development on their roadmap.
How configurable is the IP, and what should a prospective customer prepare before the first technical discussion?
The GaN gate driver has a high level of adaptability to customer requirements. MinDCet can change the functionality included in the design as well as the implementation technology, and tighten the specifications if needed. For a first discussion, it is useful to provide a basic overview of the application and the technical requirements for the gate driver.
Figure 2. MDC901 device image supplied by MinDCet.
“With more than 10 years of experience in GaN Gate Driver design, MinDCet helps customers reduce development risk and bring ASICs to market faster.”
MinDCet supports customers from concept to production-tested silicon with analog and mixed-signal IC design, block-level design services, and turnkey ASIC development. Its power-electronics expertise spans high-voltage and high-power applications, ultra-low-power solutions, GaN-based ICs and high-reliability designs for harsh environments.
Company website: https://www.mindcet.com/
AnySilicon vendor profile: https://anysilicon.com/vendors/mindcet/