While GaN system design shares many similarities with other transistor implementations, there are some key differences that must be considered, particularly when operating at high switching frequencies. In these cases, it is essential to follow best-practice layout techniques and take into account other critical considerations to ensure optimal performance and reliability.

Tips and tricks from the experts

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CoolGaN™ Webinar
CoolGaN™ Webinar
CoolGaN™ Webinar

Integrated GaN and discrete GaN: Choosing the right architecture for your design

Learn how integrated GaN and discrete GaN technologies differ in architecture, features, and performance, and how to choose the right device for your design goals. 

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Videos and webinars from the experts

Understanding GaN - Solving common mistakes when designing with GaN

Learn about the common mistakes to avoid when designing with GaN power transistors, including inadequate drive, insufficient current support, and poor gate drive circuit design.

Understanding GaN - 5 keys to successful designs using GaN power transistors

Learn the fundamentals of designing with GaN (Gallium Nitride) devices, including understanding device limits, gate drive circuits, layout considerations, commutation loops, and thermal management.

Understanding GaN - What are the application benefits?

Learn about the benefits of using Gallium Nitride (GaN) technology in power supplies, including improved efficiency, reduced size, and increased performance.

Understanding GaN - Making measurements on GaN power circuits

Learn how to accurately measure GaN gate signals, including techniques for measuring low-side and high-side gate signals, and how to select the right probes for the job.

Optimizing PCB
Optimizing PCB
Optimizing PCB

Optimizing PCB layout to unlock the full potential of Infineon’s CoolGaN™

Unlock the full potential of GaN technology and delve into the design of high-performance power electronics with a focus on optimized circuit layouts.


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Quality webinar GaN
Quality webinar GaN
Quality webinar GaN

CoolGaN™ quality and reliability: Qualification, reliability & what customers must know

Get insights into CoolGaN™’s advanced qualification processes, JEDEC alignment, and the rigorous validation steps Infineon applies to ensure long-term performance.

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CoolGaN™ Bidirectional Switch
CoolGaN™ Bidirectional Switch
CoolGaN™ Bidirectional Switch

Modeling and simulation of GaN power systems

Gain a detailed overview of modeling and simulation techniques for GaN power systems and understand the importance of simulation models in the hardware development process.


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How to GaN
How to GaN
How to GaN

Pushing more power with CoolGaN™: design, layout, and thermal management

Gain a deep understanding of gate drive circuit design, layout steps, and thermal management guidelines for GaN power devices.

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CoolGaN™ HP MS
CoolGaN™ HP MS
CoolGaN™ HP MS

Benefits & advantages of CoolGaN™ in HP & MP SMPS

Learn how to elevate your SMPS designs to a new level using GaN power devices; and explore the reference designs that Infineon offers to facilitate the rapid development of new devices.

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GaN Low Voltage Motor Control Designs
GaN Low Voltage Motor Control Designs
GaN Low Voltage Motor Control Designs

Power up, size down: revolutionizing low-voltage motor control designs with CoolGaN™ and PSOC™

Learn how CoolGaN™  is shaping the future of low-voltage motor drives and battery-powered applications by delivering higher efficiency, power density, and reliability.

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CoolGaN™ Home Appliances
CoolGaN™ Home Appliances
CoolGaN™ Home Appliances

High power, no heatsink: enhancing high-voltage motor drive with CoolGaN™ in home appliances

Gain insights into how GaN-based motor inverters improve switching performance, enhance system reliability, and achieve superior energy ratings, while eliminating the need for heatsinks.

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Solutions for Chargers and Adapters
Solutions for Chargers and Adapters
Solutions for Chargers and Adapters

Benefits of CoolGaN™ in solar and energy storage system solutions

Learn how CoolGaN™  is shaping the future of efficient and reliable solar and energy storage solutions.

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How to chargers
How to chargers
How to chargers

Charging up the future: Infineon solutions for chargers and adapters

Learn about the full system solutions Infineon has to offer for USB-C adapters and chargers, covering CoolGaN™ power semiconductors , controllers, and much more. 


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Power up, size down: revolutionizing low-voltage motor control designs with CoolGaN™ and PSOC™

Watch this engaging webinar session on how CoolGaN™ Automotive Transistor 100 V G1 is shaping the future of automotive power electronics.

1 Switch, 2 Ways, Endless Possibilities: The CoolGaN™ High Voltage Bidirectional Switch

Gain a practical understanding of the fundamentals of BDS, including its dynamic operations and four distinct modes of functionality that open new possibilities for system design.

Reliability Webinar
Reliability Webinar
Reliability Webinar

Built to last: Infineon CoolGaN™ quality and reliability assurance

Learn about Infineon‘s CoolGaN™ quality and reliability, and topics such as technology qualification, product validation, and packaging reliability.

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Optimizing PCB
Optimizing PCB
Optimizing PCB

CoolGaN™ Bidirectional Switch 40 V-120 V G3: A new paradigm in power electronics

Learn the fundamentals about CoolGaN™ Bidirectional Switch 40 V-120 V G3, its implementation types for various voltage classes and applications, and the benefits of using a bidirectional switch in your designs.


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How to GaN
How to GaN
How to GaN

The performance edge: The superiority of Infineon's e-mode GIT GaN versus d-mode cascode GaN

Learn the fundamentals of GaN technology, the clear differences between E-mode and D-mode GaN, and what are the benefits of using E-mode GaN in your design.


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Become a certified CoolGaN™ expert

Become a certified CoolGaN™ expert
Become a certified CoolGaN™ expert
Become a certified CoolGaN™ expert

Access our GaN technology training program, complete it and pass a test to receive a certificate

The program is structured across 4 progressive learning levels, guiding participants from GaN fundamentals through intermediate and advanced system knowledge to expert-level application understanding.

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Frequently asked questions about GaN

Gallium Nitride (GaN) is a wide-bandgap semiconductor technology that enables faster switching, higher efficiency, and greater power density compared to traditional silicon-based solutions.

In power electronics, GaN transistors significantly improve performance by:

  • Reducing switching losses, enabling higher efficiency across applications
  • Supporting higher switching frequencies, allowing smaller passive components
  • Increasing power density, leading to more compact system designs
  • Improving thermal performance, reducing cooling requirements
  • All contributing to lower systems costs

These advantages make GaN especially suitable for applications such as USB-C chargers, AI and enterprise data centers, renewable energy systems, robots and robotics, and automotive power systems, where efficiency and size are critical.

👉 In practice: GaN helps engineers design smaller, lighter, more energy-efficient, and lower cost power systems—supporting Infineon’s goal of driving decarbonization through advanced semiconductor solutions.

Learn more about GaN technologies

Designing with GaN requires a system-level approach that fully leverages its fast-switching capabilities.

Key steps to get started include:

  1. Select the right GaN device
    Choose voltage class and package based on your application
  2. Optimize the gate drive strategy
    Evaluate needs for performance, package, design flexibility and custom tuning when selecting discrete discretes versus integrated power stage.
  3. Focus on PCB layout
    Minimize parasitic inductance with short, tight current loops and optimized routing.
  4. Adapt switching frequency strategy
    Take advantage of GaN’s high-frequency capability to reduce magnetics size and improve efficiency.
  5. Validate thermals and EMI performance
    Use simulation and measurement to ensure compliance and reliability.

👉 Infineon CoolGaN™ solutions are designed to simplify this process with optimized device characteristics, application notes, and reference designs.

Explore CoolGaN™ solutions

Discrete GaN solutions offer maximum design flexibility and custom tuning for varying voltage and current levels, while integrated power stage GaN (GaN ICs) combines the FETs and gate drivers on a single chip.

Discrete Pros and Cons

+    Ultimate Design Flexibility: Engineers can hand-pick the gate driver and precisely tune the drive strength to minimize overshoot, tailoring the circuit exactly to their specific application.

+    Higher Power Capability: Discrete packaging allows for better handling of higher currents and voltages, making it the preferred choice for heavy-duty or industrial-scale power systems.

+    Paralleling Options: For high-power circuits that require paralleling multiple transistors to handle high currents, discrete devices provide a straightforward design path.

+    Asymmetric Optimization: In topologies like buck converters, the high-side and low-side switches have different optimization needs. Discretes allow you to use a smaller, lower-charge FET on the high side to minimize switching losses, and a larger, lower-resistance FET on the low side to minimize conduction losses.

–    Nuanced PCB Layout: Designers must route connections between the discrete GaN FET and the external gate driver, which introduces parasitic inductance and tighter control of gate ringing or false turn-ons.

–     Higher Component Count: The need for separate drivers, resistors, and bypass capacitors increases the bill of materials (BOM) and consumes more board space.

 

GaN IC Pros and Cons

+    Near-Zero Gate Loop Inductance: Because the gate driver and the GaN FET are bonded inside the same package, the gate loop inductance is practically eliminated. This delivers clean, ringing-free switching waveforms.

+    Built-In System Protection: Integrated stages feature built-in under-voltage lockout (UVLO), over-temperature shutdown, and ultra-fast blanking/over-current protection for fast reaction and protection.

+    Increased Power Density: By eliminating the need for external driver components and complex PCB traces, integrated GaN reduces the overall footprint.

+    Simplified Design: Built-in features like dead-time control, level shifting, and thermal protection streamline the development process and accelerate time-to-market.

–    Limited Power Range: It is challenging to incorporate large GaN dies into IC packages for extremely high power requirements, meaning discrete solutions are still needed for the higher power tiers.

–    Vendor Lock-In: Integrated GaN pinouts aren’t standardized. If a specific integrated IC goes out of stock, drop-in replacements do not exist, forcing an expensive PCB redesign.

–    Thermal Compounding: Placing the heat-generating gate driver and the highly efficient but hot GaN FET in the exact same miniature package concentrates the heat flux. Dissipating heat from a single small IC can be tougher than spreading discretes across a board.

–    Fixed Performance Profiles: You cannot tune the gate drive speed or alter the internal dead-time. You are locked into the vendor’s pre-engineered compromises leaving less room for gate-drive tuning optimization.

👉 Infineon CoolGaN™ solutions are available in discrete, CoolGaN™ Transistor families and as integrated power stages, called CoolGaN™ Drive.

Explore CoolGaN™ families

Switching from Si MOSFETs to e-mode GaN HEMTs is not a drop‑in replacement. Many first-time designs fail not because GaN is difficult, but because engineers apply MOSFET intuition where it no longer holds.

Here are the most common mistakes, grouped by area:

Topic

First-timer mistakes

Why it’s bad for GaN

Solutions

Layout

Reusing MOSFET PCB layout with long gate loops and/or power loops

GaN switches 5–10x faster (high dv/dt, di/dt). Even a few nH of stray inductance can cause ringing, overshoot, false triggering

Tight power loop (FET + decoupling), gate loop kept ultra short and clean.

Not minimizing parasitic inductance

Kelvin source connection (or equivalent)

Gate drive

Using a “generic” MOSFET driver with low CMTI.

Drivers with low CMTI can misfire, latch up, or momentarily turn on both devices, causing false switching  or shoot‑through.

Select a gate driver with high CMTI (≥150 V/ns) and sufficient peak current capability (e.g., ≥2 A).

Not managing Miller/false turn‑on.

Fast dV/dt and shared source inductance can turn the opposite device on.

Use Kelvin source pins, tight gate loops, proper turn‑off impedance, optional Miller clamp or small Cgs.

Starting with big gate resistors

Slows edges, increases loss, and worsens deadtime conduction

Start with small RG and tune with a double-pulse test. Consider split on/off resistors.

Unnecessary or excessive negative gate bias (or none when needed)

Applying the wrong bias or none at all can lead to device malfunction, increased losses, or reduced system efficiency.

Default to 0 V off unless measurements show false turn‑on; only add slight negative bias (−1 to −2 V) if needed and if the device/driver explicitly allow it.

Inadequate local driver decoupling and return

Supply bounce or long return paths modulate VGS, creating timing jitter, overshoot, or false turn‑on.

Gate driver supply must be decoupled within a few millimeters; Gate return should be the Kelvin source, not the power source.

Switching behavior, current limit, timing, and topology assumptions

Using “Si‑style” long deadtime.

Long deadtime wastes power and heats the device.

Minimize deadtime and consider adaptive control.

Measuring inductor current assuming its same as switch current

Peak current may be higher due to additive capacitive transient current and inductor entering saturation

Ensure instantaneous current is within transistor limits and there is sufficient gate drive current

Using long leads, sockets, or flying wires during bring‑up

Added inductance and capacitance produce ringing and overshoot, masking real behavior and risking system failure.

Test on a proper PCB. During experimentation, slow edges (temporarily increase RG, add snubbers), and run reduced voltage/current until stable.

Expecting big gains without changing frequency or magnetics

With Si‑era switching frequency and magnetics, GaN’s advantage may be small.

Benefits grow when you raise frequency and shrink magnetics—if the rest of the design also follows GaN design guidelines

Thermal Management

Placing thermal vias around the device rather than directly underneath it

GaN junction temperature may increase past its maximum limit in a short period.

Follow layout guidelines referencing copper layers and copper vias to maximize thermal performance

Routing all heat down into the printed circuit board (PCB)

Sinking all heat into the PCB may not maximize system efficiency and can limit the maximum power output of the system

Leverage GaN package options for top-side cooling and dual-side cooling allowing for maximum heat to escape directly into the ambient air.

Relying solely on the datasheet's junction-to-case thermal resistance (θJC) to calculate operating temperatures

May overlook rapid thermal spikes that can occur during burst loads, leading to unexpected field system operation.

Run thermal simulations looking at the entire thermal network, paying close attention to the case-to-ambient (θCA) resistance

Measurement

Probing the switch node or gate with long ground leads.

You’ll see (or create) ringing that isn’t real.

Use high‑bandwidth differential probes

Skipping the double‑pulse test.

Without a controlled test, you can’t quantify switching loss, overshoot, or tune gate/snubbers accurately.

Build a proper double‑pulse fixture. Start at low bus voltage and current and step up as you tune.

Measuring gate-to-power-source

Hides true VGS and can miss precarious spikes.

Reference measurements to the Kelvin source

 

👉 Infineon provides a comprehensive ecosystem—including CoolGaN™ devices, evaluation boards, and design resources—to help engineers overcome these challenges and accelerate time-to-market.

Learn more