Showing papers by "Burak Ozpineci published in 2014"

Power Cycle Testing of Power Switches: A Literature Survey

Abstract: Reliability of power converters and lifetime prediction has been a major topic of research in the last few decades, especially for traction applications. The main failures in high power semiconductors are caused by thermomechanical fatigue. Power cycling and temperature cycling are the two most common thermal acceleration tests used in assessing reliability. The objective of this paper is to study the various power cycling tests found in the literature and to develop generalized steps in planning application specific power cycling tests. A comparison of different tests based on the failures, duration, test circuits, and monitored electrical parameters is presented.

Application-Based Review of GaN HFETs

Abstract: Normally-off GaN-on-Si heterojunction field-effect transistors (HFETs) have been developed with up to 650 V blocking capability, fast switching, and low conduction losses in commercial devices. The natively depletion-mode device can be modified to be normally-off using a variety of techniques. For a power electronics engineer accustomed to Si-based converter design, there is inherent benefit to understanding the unique characteristics and challenges that distinguish GaN HFETs from Si MOSFETs. Dynamic Rds-on, self-commutated reverse conduction, gate voltage and current requirements, and the effects of very fast switching are explained from an applications perspective. This paper reviews available literature on commercial and near-commercial GaN HFETs, to prepare engineers with Si-based power electronics experience to effectively design GaN-based converters.

A 10-kW SiC Inverter with A Novel Printed Metal Power Module With Integrated Cooling Using Additive Manufacturing

Abstract: With efforts to reduce the cost, size, and thermal management systems for the power electronics drivetrain in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), wide band gap semiconductors including silicon carbide (SiC) have been identified as possibly being a partial solution. This paper focuses on the development of a 10-kW all SiC inverter using a high power density, integrated printed metal power module with integrated cooling using additive manufacturing techniques. This is the first ever heat sink printed for a power electronics application. About 50% of the inverter was built using additive manufacturing techniques.

Applications of saturable-core reactors (SCR) in power systems

Abstract: The study of the saturable-core reactor (SCR) can be traced back to 1900's. Although commonly used in electronic circuit applications, SCR has seldom been used in power system applications. In recent years, power engineers have raised interest in exploring applications of SCR in power systems. The SCR is low-cost and durable. Its nature of using the magnetic field as control medium makes it more familiar and, perhaps, more easily accepted by power utilities. In this paper, the basic concept of SCR and some existing or potential applications of SCR in power systems are introduced. A project on the R&D of a SCR-based power flow controller has been funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and conducted by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, and Waukesha Electric Systems, Inc. since early 2012. Some technical details of the project are presented and some preliminary results are highlighted.

Rainflow algorithm based lifetime estimation of power semiconductors in utility applications

Abstract: Rainflow algorithms are one of the best counting methods used in fatigue and failure analysis popularly used in semiconductor lifetime estimation models. However, the rainflow algorithm used in power semiconductor reliability does not consider the time dependent mean temperature calculation. The equivalent temperature calculation proposed by Nagode et al is applied to semiconductor lifetime estimation for the first time in this paper. A month long arc furnace load profile is used as a test profile to estimate temperatures in IGBT in a STATCOM for reactive compensation of load. The degradation in the life of the IGBT power device is predicted based on time dependent temperature calculation.

Operating parameter based wirebond model for a power module

Abstract: Lifetime estimation of power semiconductors for various applications has gained technical importance. The main failures in high power semiconductors are caused by thermo-mechanical fatigue, mainly in solder and wirebonds, due to different coefficients of thermal expansions of the various packaging materials. Most of the lifetime models do not take all the operating parameters into account. There is a need to develop a generalized lifetime model specific to failure mechanisms that account for all of the operating parameters in an application. This paper presents finite element based stress simulations for varying operating parameters (current, temperature, etc.) for a fixed dimension wire.