Renesas Electronics Corporation introduced the industry?s first bidirectional switch using depletion-mode (d-mode) GaN technology, capable of blocking both positive and negative currents in a single device with integrated DC blocking. Targeting single-stage solar microinverters, AI data centers and onboard electric vehicle chargers, the high-voltage TP65B110HRU dramatically simplifies power converter designs and replaces conventional back-to-back FET switches with a single low-loss, fast-switching, easy-to-drive device. High-power conversion designs use unidirectional silicon or silicon carbide (SiC) switches, which block current in only one direction when in the off state.
As a result, power conversion must be dividend into stages with multiple switched bridge circuits. Many of today?s single-stage designs use conventional unidirectional switches back-to-back, resulting in a four-fold increase in switch count and reduced efficiency. Bidirectional GaN changes this landscape entirely.
By integrating bidirectional blocking functionality on a single GaN product, power conversion can be achieved in a single stage using fewer switching devices. A typical solar microinverter, for example, will require only two high-voltage Renesas SuperGaN bidirectional devices, eliminating the intermediary DC-link capacitors and cutting the switch count by half. In addition, GaN products switch fast, with low stored charge, enabling higher switching frequencies and higher power density.
In a real-world single-stage solar microinverter implementation, the new GaN architecture demonstrated higher than 97.5% power efficiency with the elimination of back-to-back connections and slow silicon switches. Renesas? field-proven 650V SuperGaN devices are based on a proprietary normally-off technology that is simple to drive and highly robust.
The TP65B110HRU combines a high-voltage bidirectional d-mode GaN chip co-packaged with two low-voltage silicon MOSFETs with high threshold voltage (3V) high gate margin (±20V) and built-in body diodes for efficient reverse conduction. Compared with enhancement mode (e-mode) bidirectional GaN devices, the Renesas bidirectional GaN switch offers compatibility with standard gate drivers that require no negative gate bias. This translates to a simpler, lower-cost gate loop design and fast, stable switching in both soft and hard switching operation without a performance penalty.
Power conversion topologies that require hard switching, such as the Vienna-style rectifier, can benefit from its high dv/dt capability of >100 V/ns, with minimum ringing and short delays during on/off transitions. The Renesas GaN device enables true bidirectional switching with high robustness, high performance and ease of use. Key features of the TP65B110HRU: ±650V continuous peak AC and DC rating, ±800V transient rating; 2kV Human Body Model ESD protection rating (HBM and CDM); 110 mO typical RSS,ON @ 25°C; 3V typical Vgs(th); No negative drive required; ±20V maximum Vgs; >100 V/ns dv/dt immunity; 1.8V, VSS,FW freewheeling diode voltage-drop; TOLT top-side cooled package with industry standard pin-out.
Renesas will showcase the latest bidirectional GaN switch and its growing portfolio of intelligent power solutions in booth #1219 at the Applied Power Electronics Conference (APEC), in San Antonio, Texas, March 22-26, 2026. The TP65B110HRU bi-directional GaN switch is available in quantity. Customers can also purchase the RTDACHB0000RS-MS-1 evaluation kit for testing with different drive options, detect AC zero crossings and implement ZVS soft switching.
