Case Study: Panasonic achieves reliable, production-ready GaN power transistors with Keysight test solutions

GaN Power Devices are Becoming Broadly Available, with Steady Progress in Design Environment in Addition to Secure Reliability

Panasonic set out to commercialize high‑performance GaN power transistors that could outperform silicon while matching or exceeding silicon’s reliability, robustness and ease of design. Key technical challenges included making devices normally‑off, preventing current collapse and avoiding cracks in GaN epitaxial layers; Panasonic addressed these in its X‑GaNTM family (e.g., PGA26E19BA, PGA26E07BA) and partnered with Keysight to develop a usable design environment using ASM SPICE models and Keysight’s ADS/ADS Momentum tools.

Keysight supplied 3D electromagnetic analysis (ADS Momentum), RF/microwave simulation (ADS) and S‑parameter extraction that, combined with ASM device models, produced simulated results that closely matched measurements (Coss, Ciss, Crss). With this tooling and Panasonic’s GIT/HD‑GIT structures plus process and buffer‑layer improvements, the transistors show no dynamic Ron increase up to ~850 V, exceeded 3,600 hours in D‑HTOL testing, and are in volume production (PGA26E19BA: 140 mΩ@13 A; PGA26E07BA: 56 mΩ@26 A)—helping engineers reliably design high‑frequency GaN power supplies. Keysight’s models thus reduced design risk and enabled accurate pre‑layout prediction.

Panasonic