A large number of factors such as the increasingly stringent pollutant emission policies, fossil fuel scarcity and their price volatility have increased the interest towards the partial or total electrification of current vehicular technologies. These transition of the vehicle fleet into electric is being carried out progressively. In the last decades, several technological milestones have been achieved, which range from the development of basic components to the current integrated electric drives made of silicon (Si) based power modules. In this context, the automotive industry and political and social agents are forcing the current technology of electric drives to its limits. For example, the U.S Department of Energy’s goals for 2020 include the development of power converter technologies with power densities higher than 14.1 kW/kg and efficiencies greater than 98%. Additionally, target price of power converters has been set below $3.3/kW. Thus, these goals could be only achieved by using advanced semiconductor technologies. Wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors, and, most notably, silicon carbide (SiC) based power electronic devices, have been proposed as the most promising alternative to Si devices due to their superior material properties. As the power module is one of the most significant component of the traction power converter, this work focuses on an in-deep review of the state of the art concerning such element, identifying the electrical requirements for the modules and the power conversion topologies that will best suit future drives. Additionally, current WBG technology is reviewed and, after a market analysis, the most suitable power semiconductor devices are highlighted. Finally, this work focuses on practical design aspects of the module, such as the layout of the module and optimum WBG based die parallelization, placement and Direct Bonded Copper (DBC) routing.

Power module electronics in HEV/EV applications: New trends in wide-bandgap semiconductor technologies and design aspects

Latest dual-gate (2G) monolithic bidirectional (MB) gallium nitride (GaN) enhancement-mode field effect transistors (e-FETs) enable a performance breakthrough of current DC-link inverters, e.g., in terms of power conversion efficiency, power density, cost and complexity. In fact, a single 2G MB GaN e-FET can replace the two anti-series connected conventional power semiconductors required in this inverter topology, realizing a four-quadrant (AC) switch with bidirectional voltage blocking capability and allowing controlled bidirectional current flow. Furthermore, as shown in this paper in case of three-phase (3-Φ) buck-boost (bB) current source inverter (CSI) systems comprising a DC-link current impressing buck-type DC/DC input stage and a subsequent boost-type 3-Φ current DC-link inverter output stage, a variable DC-link current control strategy, based on a Synergetic Control concept, can be applied to significantly reduce the switching losses occurring in the 3-Φ inverter. This strategy is denominated two-third pulse-width modulation (2/3-PWM), since by properly shaping the DC-link current with the input stage, the desired 3-Φ sinusoidal load phase currents can be generated by switching, in each switching period, only two out of the three phases of the output stage. Based on comprehensive circuit simulations and analytical calculations, a detailed explanation of the developed modulation and control schemes in different operating conditions is provided, and the reduction of losses enabled by 2/3-PWM is confirmed. Next, the seamless transition of the 3-Φ bB CSI system from 2/3-PWM to conventional 3/3-PWM is demonstrated. Finally, a 3.3 kW 3-Φ bB CSI system, applying 2/3-PWM and employing research samples of 2G MB GaN e-FETs in the 3-Φ inverter, is estimated to achieve an efficiency of 98.4% and a power density of 18 kW/dm(295 W/in) at a switching frequency of 140 kHz.

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Three-Phase Two-Third-PWM Buck-Boost Current Source Inverter System Employing Dual-Gate Monolithic Bidirectional GaN e-FETs

The standard converter concept employed in variable speed motor drives is the two-level three-phase Si insulated-gate bipolar transistor voltage source inverter with its switch nodes connected to the motor terminals via shielded cables to avoid excessive high-frequency noise emissions. However, high $dv/dt$ pulses of the inverter pose substantial stresses on the motor, which are further intensified by the ever-faster switching speeds of wide band-gap semiconductors, hence promoting interest in inverters with full-sinewave output filters, which potentially enable the use of inexpensive unshielded motor cables. However, the IEC 61800-3 standard dictates stringent conducted and radiated emission limits on unscreened power interfaces. In this article, a dc input and ac output filter structure allowing operation with unshielded cables is derived for a phase-modular 11-kW buck–boost Y-inverter motor drive system employing 1.2-kV SiC MOSFETs with a switching frequency of 100 kHz. First, regulations and measurement techniques for conducted and radiated emissions of motor drives are analyzed. Next, the operating principle of the Y-inverter is described and an electromagnetic interference equivalent circuit is derived, followed by a systematic filter design. Finally, measurements are conducted on an ultracompact hardware prototype of the converter system with 12 kW/dm3 (197 W/in3) power density, where the results indicate full compliance with the IEC 61800-3 conducted and radiated emission limits for operation with unshielded dc supply and motor cables in a residential area.

EMI Filter Design for a Three-Phase Buck–Boost Y-Inverter VSD With Unshielded Motor Cables Considering IEC 61800-3 Conducted and Radiated Emission Limits

Due to the large relative permittivity of Class II dielectrics, ceramic capacitors (CCs) from these materials promise significant volume and weight reductions in inverter and rectifier sine-wave filters, and are especially attractive in mobile applications that demand ultrahigh power density. While previous literature found large low-frequency losses in these components, no extensible loss model was proposed to accurately characterize these ferroelectric losses. In this article, we take advantage of prior art on ferro magnetic components in power electronics to propose a Steinmetz parameter-based loss modeling approach for X7R CCs, named the Improved Generalized Steinmetz Equation for CCs, or iGSE-C. This model is verified using the Sawyer–Tower circuit to measure losses in a commercially available X7R capacitor across excitation magnitude, dc bias, temperature, excitation frequency, and harmonic injection. Losses are shown to scale according to a power law with charge, with the resulting Steinmetz coefficients valid across dc bias and slightly varying as the temperature is increased. The iGSE-C accurately predicts losses for typical nonsinusoidal phase voltage waveforms with an error under 8%. Finally, the loss modeling technique is demonstrated for the sine-wave output filter of a bridge-leg arrangement with both low- and high-frequency excitations, with total capacitor losses predicted within 12% accuracy.

Novel iGSE-C Loss Modeling of X7R Ceramic Capacitors

Pairing wide-bandgap (WBG) inverters with highspeed motors results in compact and efficient motor drives, but requires special attention on electromagnetic interference (EMI) aspects. This paper focuses on electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) of high-speed motor drives, supplied by a DC source. In order to protect the nearby equipment from the EMI noise of the WBG inverter, a filter that complies with conducted EMI regulations is placed at the inverter DC input-side. However, there is no clear mandate requiring from inverters to comply with conducted EMI regulations at the AC output-side, where only the motor is placed. For this reason, there is no full consensus whether it is necessary to use an output filter, and if so, what type of output filter would be suitable, i.e., if differential-mode (DM), common-mode (CM) or both DM/CM output filter would fit best. A full sine-wave output filter (FSF) is proposed in this paper, that features both DM and CM attenuation, and capacitors connected to the DC link. Besides the several well established benefits of a FSF, such as purely sinusoidal motor currents and the protection of the motor against high dw/dt originating from the fast switching of the semiconductor devices, a FSF at the inverter output-side, also reduces the CM EMI emissions at the inverter input-side. Namely, since the inverter housing, the motor housing and the interconnecting shielded cable are all grounded, CM emissions generated at the inverter output-side are directly mapped to the inverter input-side, i.e., there is an input-to-output CM noise interrelation. A FSF reduces the output-side CM EMI emissions and thus mitigates the input-to-output CM noise mutual influence. Two types of FSF (c-FSF and d-FSF) are comparatively evaluated, in terms of volume, losses and EMI performance. The theoretical consideration are tested within the context of a high-speed 280 krpm, 1 kW motor drive, with 80 V DC supply. The experimental results validate the good performance of the proposed filter concept.

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Input/output EMI filter design for three-phase ultra-high speed motor drive gan inverter stage

In this study, a three-phase motor inverter with sinusoidal output voltages based on the application of gallium nitride transistors and advanced control is analysed. In comparison to standard silicon-insulated gate bipolar transistors much higher feasible switching frequencies of 100 kHz and above are possible and reduce the output sine filter component size such that the filter can be directly included into the inverter. This considerably improves the electromagnetic interference (EMI) behaviour of the drive system as well as the acoustic noise, eases the inverter-to-motor wiring and protects the motor isolation against high d
 u 
/d
 t rates. The study describes the dimensioning and design of the used two-stage LC filter including motor current control based on proportional-integral-type phase current controllers. The LC filter damping is performed actively by capacitor current feedback. Using this active damping scheme avoids additional losses of conventional sine filters and guarantees high system efficiency up to 98%. Finally, experimental results of a laboratory prototype verify the proper behaviour of the proposed concept.

Christoph Lagler

Papers

Design of a 100 kHz wide bandgap inverter for motor applications with active damped sine wave filter