Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD) has expanded its portfolio of gallium nitride (GaN) power solutions with advanced motor drive implementations based on its proprietary ICeGaN® technology, targeting high-efficiency and high-power-density applications across industrial, commercial, and consumer segments.
The ICeGaN® platform integrates enhancement-mode GaN HEMT devices with monolithically integrated gate drive and protection circuitry, delivering a highly optimized power switch solution that simplifies system design while enabling superior electrical performance. By combining the high electron mobility and low switching losses inherent to GaN with integrated control functionality, the devices support significantly higher switching frequencies compared to conventional silicon MOSFET and IGBT-based designs, thereby reducing switching energy losses and enabling the use of smaller passive components and magnetics.
In motor drive applications, this capability translates into improved inverter efficiency, reduced thermal dissipation, and enhanced power density. The higher switching frequency operation also enables finer PWM resolution, resulting in smoother motor current waveforms, lower torque ripple, and reduced acoustic noise, key performance parameters for applications such as HVAC systems, compressors, pumps, and precision industrial drives.
A key architectural advantage of CGD’s ICeGaN® technology lies in its “drop-in” compatibility with existing silicon-based gate driver infrastructure. The devices are engineered to operate with standard gate drive voltages and do not require negative gate bias, external Miller clamps, or complex protection networks typically associated with discrete GaN implementations. This significantly reduces design complexity, shortens development cycles, and lowers the barrier to GaN adoption in cost-sensitive motor control applications.
In addition to integrated gate functionality, the ICeGaN® devices incorporate on-chip current sensing, active Miller clamp, and advanced light-load/no-load efficiency enhancement circuits, enabling improved system-level performance and reducing external component count. These features support optimized efficiency across a wide operating range, from full-load conditions to standby operation, which is critical for meeting stringent energy efficiency regulations.
CGD’s motor drive solutions are further supported by a comprehensive ecosystem of evaluation platforms and reference designs, enabling rapid prototyping and validation of brushless DC (BLDC) and permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) control architectures. These platforms demonstrate seamless replacement of legacy silicon devices while maintaining compatibility with existing digital control schemes, including field-oriented control (FOC) implementations.
By leveraging the intrinsic advantages of GaN technology—high-speed switching, low conduction losses, and compact form factor—combined with a system-level integration approach, CGD enables next-generation motor drive systems that deliver higher efficiency, reduced size, and improved reliability.
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About Cambridge GaN Devices
Cambridge GaN Devices is a fabless semiconductor company specializing in high-performance GaN power devices and integrated circuits. Originating from research at the University of Cambridge, the company has developed its proprietary ICeGaN® technology to address key challenges in GaN adoption, including ease of use, reliability, and cost-effectiveness. CGD’s solutions are designed to accelerate the transition from silicon to GaN across a wide range of applications, including motor drives, data center power supplies, renewable energy systems, and electric mobility.
