SiC and GaN semiconductors : the future enablers of compact and efficient converters for electromobility

Sarriegi, Garikoitz; de Doncker, Rik W. (Thesis advisor); Vescan, Andrei (Thesis advisor)

1. Auflage. - Aachen (2017, 2018)
Book, Dissertation / PhD Thesis

In: Aachener Beiträge des ISEA 107
Page(s)/Article-Nr.: 1 Online-Ressource (viii,106 Seiten) : Illustrationen, Diagramme

Dissertation, RWTH Aachen University, 2017

Abstract

The better physical properties of the new wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor devices, e.g. silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), compared to the currently available silicon (Si) based semiconductor devices make these devices very attractive for many different applications. The faster switching transients and higher allowed junction temperatures enable converters with higher switching frequencies and lower cooling effort, leading to smaller passive components, e.g. inductors, transformers and capacitors, and smaller heatsinks. Hence, the total convert size and weight is drastically reduced, a feature which is of special interest for mobile applications, e.g. electromobility, where space is limited and the total weight of the vehicle is of upmost importance as it is directly related to the total driving range. In this work, the performance of commercially available WBG semiconductor devices is analyzed. The different materials, e.g. SiC or GaN, and the different device structures, e.g. MOSFETs, JFETs or HEMTs, offer a wide range of characteristics that need to be carefully considered to select the most suitable device for each application. For this purpose, the parameters of the devices are first analyzed, and then, these devices are characterized in a double pulse test bench. The results are used to perform different simulations and compare the devices. Finally, the devices are mounted in a bidirectional interleaved DC-DC converter to measure their performance in real converter operation.