Maxima 6 GaN – Newsshooter

A Fresnel lens will arrive as an accessory by the end of 2023.

What is GaN?

Maxima 6 GaN is the world’s first LED lamp driven by gallium nitride circuitry, making it capable of an unprecedented lux-to-weight ratio, best-in-class efficiency, and high CRI color rendering. GaN semiconductors are inherently more efficient than silicon, so less energy is consumed as heat, resulting in a more efficient system with higher power density (smaller volume).

According to Maxima, the patented all-copper heat sink, combined with advanced thermal management, pushes Maxima 6 GaN to the top of the performance charts, both in terms of brightness and compactness.

The increased efficiency achieved with GaN circuits and the innovative thermal management subsystem ensures consistency and maximum performance for years.

Thanks to the Gallium Nitride circuit, you can use Maxima 6 GaN with any third party DC source (like Bebop, FXLion, Arri) from 35 to 75 V.

Gallium nitride is a III/V binary direct bandgap semiconductor suitable for high-power transistors capable of operating at elevated temperatures. Since the 1990s it has been commonly used in light emitting diodes (LEDs). Gallium nitride emits a blue light used for reading the Blu-ray disc. Additionally, gallium nitride is used in semiconductor power devices, RF components, lasers, and photonics. We will see GaN in sensor technology in the future.

In 2006, enhancement-mode GaN transistors, sometimes referred to as GaN FETs, began to be produced by growing a thin layer of GaN on the AIN layer of a standard silicon wafer using metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). . The AIN layer acts as a buffer between the substrate and GaN. This new process made it possible to produce gallium nitride transistors in the same existing factories as silicon, using almost the same manufacturing processes. Using a known process allows for similarly low manufacturing costs and lowers the barrier to adopting smaller transistors with much improved performance.

To explain further, all semiconductor materials have what is called a bandgap. This is an energy range in a solid where no electrons can exist. Simply put, a bandgap relates to how well a solid material can conduct electricity. Gallium nitride has a bandgap of 3.4 eV, compared to silicon’s 1.12 eV. The wider band gap of gallium nitrides means it can sustain higher voltages and higher temperatures than silicon MOSFETs. This large bandgap allows gallium nitride to be applied to high-power, high-frequency optoelectronic devices.

The ability to operate at much higher temperatures and voltages than gallium arsenide (GaAs) transistors also makes gallium nitride power amplifiers ideal for microwave and terahertz (ThZ) devices, such as imaging and sensing , the future market mentioned above.

ADVANTAGES OF GALLIUM NITRIDE
The value proposition for GaN devices consists of four main points:

Reduced energy costs Because GaN semiconductors are inherently more efficient than silicon, less energy is consumed in the form of heat, resulting in reduced system size and material costs.

Higher power density (smaller volume) Higher switching frequencies and operating temperatures than silicon result in lower cooling requirements, smaller heat sinks, conversion from liquid to air cooling, elimination of fans, and reduced magnetism.

Higher switching frequency The higher switching frequencies for GaN devices allow for smaller inductors and capacitors to be used in power circuits. Inductance and capacitance decrease in proportion to frequency: a 10-fold increase in frequency produces a 10-fold decrease in capacitance and inductance. This can result in a huge reduction in weight and volume as well as cost. Also, a higher frequency can result in less acoustic noise in motor drive applications. High frequency also allows for wireless power transfer at higher powers, more spatial freedom, and greater transmit to receive air gaps.

Lower system cost While GaN semiconductors are generally more expensive than silicon, system level cost reductions result from the use of GaN by reducing the size/cost of other components such as passive inductive and capacitive circuit elements, filters, cooling, etc. Savings range from 10-20%.

Production

Above you can see the Maxima 6 GaN’s claimed output when used open-faced, with its 70-degree reflector and ARRI QLM 15 and 30-degree optics.

If you want a comparison when it comes to output, the ARRI Orbiter when using its 15 degree QLM optics outputs 85,400 lx (7930 fc) @ 1m /3.3′. The claimed output of the Maxima 6 GaN using exactly the same optics is a whopping 283,500 lx at the same distance.

Maxima has also extended the flicker-free performance from 10,000 fps to over 30,000 fps and improved Bluetooth speed while using the app.

Color rendering

Above you can see the very impressive (claimed) color rendering scores, white point, TM-30, and spectral response of the Maxima 6 GaN.

Weight and size

The Maxima 6 GaN weighs 4.6 kg / 10.14 lbs with its yoke frame.

Specifications

The appliance is designed and manufactured in Italy and comes with the addition of a 2-year guarantee.

Price and availability

The Maxima 6 GaN will retail for 2,999 Euros, including the waterproof Flight Case and Bowens adapter.

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