There are two forces shaping the future of power electronics: the demand for greater efficiency and increasing power density. Silicon devices often do not meet these needs, especially when there are large thermal and size penalties associated with their use. Thus, the rapid adoption of gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) has changed the way that power electronics designs are made. Precise PCB layout services will require more from designers because wide bandgap devices often behave differently than traditional silicon devices on the board.
To make informed design decisions as power electronics engineers, it is crucial that you understand GaN and SiC and that your choice is based on your application’s characteristics including electrical performance, thermal limits and layout requirements.
Electrical and Thermal Differences That Matter
Silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) are superior to silicon; but both materials perform optimally within different parameters of operation.
GaN devices excel at high frequency switching because they have low gate charge, which translates into minimal switching losses. Both of these attributes make GaN a very good choice for use in consumer power supplies, where space, weight, and efficiency are tightly constrained. The faster switching that is produced by GaN devices will allow you to use smaller magnetics, resulting in higher power density. But fast switching would increase sensitivity to parasitics in the layout.
SiC devices excel in applications that require high voltage/high power for industrial applications because SiC devices can endure higher junction temperatures, support higher breakdown voltages, and can run for prolonged periods (continuously) without failure. Therefore, SiC are excellent candidates for motor drive applications, industrial inverter applications, electric vehicle battery charger applications, and renewable energy applications.
Generally speaking, designers typically evaluate:
- The tradeoff of switching frequency to efficiency
- The maximum operating voltage/current
- The available thermal headroom and cooling strategy.
PCB Layout Challenges with Wide Bandgap Devices
If not managed properly through PCB design, the benefits of both GaN and SiC can evaporate very quickly. Higher edge rates create high levels of parasitic inductance and can lead to EMI and ringing issues, as well as overshoot.
Some of the critical layout considerations are:
- Very short switching loops to reduce parasitic inductance
- Power and return paths must be paired as closely together as possible
- Routing of gate drive signals must be controlled to prevent false turn-on
- Decoupling and snubber components should be placed in strategic locations
GaN in particular is highly sensitive to even a few millimeters of added loop length; whereas SiC will require careful planning related to creepage and clearance due to their higher voltage operation.
Role of Advanced Design Tools in Power PCB Development
Manual design approaches no longer work as power densities increase, now designers need tools that help control complex constraints such as voltage and current flow, spacing, etc., as well as assist them in doing so earlier in the layout process. Tools like OrCAD PCB Designer allow engineers to:
- Visualize copper distribution and current flow
- Enforce high-voltage domain spacing rules
- Reduce the number of iterations by validating at the beginning of layout development
Mid-design analysis is particularly beneficial when designing with wide bandgap devices because changes made later than mid-design would incur extreme costs.
Looking Ahead to 2026
GaN (gallium nitride) will likely continue to be the predominant material used in making compact/high-efficiency consumer power supplies, SiC (silicon carbide) will remain the most commonly used material for high voltage industrial power systems. The ultimate differentiating factor will be how efficiently the wide band gap devices are deployed through professional PCB services paired with advanced toolsets like OrCAD PCB Designing. As a result using these services and tools together can significantly improve the efficiency, thermal stability and long-term reliability of the end product under real world conditions.
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