Testing the behavior in hostile environment of Points of Load for LHC experiments

• Devices operating in the harsh environment are called to work at high level of radiation.
• Hostile environment for electronic devices is characterized by both high level of radiation and magnetic field.
• Equipment devoted to generate the supply for the electronic circuits can be often called to operate in hostile environment.
• GaN power devices to be used in PoL converters are very promising.

Devices used in future experiments at LHC will have to work in a very hostile environment. Power supply is a key aspect in this scenario and new converters must be designed in order to meet the future requirements. This is particularly true for Point of Load (PoL) converters that, being located as close as possible to the loads, must operate in a very harsh environment. This paper presents an experimental activity aimed to verify the compliance with a high stationary magnetic field of a commercial PoL, as well as experimental measurements aimed to test the performance of new GaN power devices used in PoL converters.In particular, a highly integrated commercial PoL converter, that includes in the same package the output filter inductor, is considered for the magnetic test, while an ad-hoc PoL converter, employing 40 V, 33 A normally off GaN MOSFETs has been designed and, finally, tested. Dynamic RDSon measurements of the same devices are also included.