Showing papers on "Power module published in 2017"

Power Semiconductor Devices for Smart Grid and Renewable Energy Systems

Abstract: Modern civilization is related to the increased use of electric energy for industry production, human mobility, and comfortable living. Highly efficient and reliable power electronic systems, which convert and process electric energy from one form to the other, are critical for smart grid and renewable energy systems. The power semiconductor device, as the cornerstone technology in a power electronics system, plays a pivotal role in determining the system efficiency, size, and cost. Starting from the invention and commercialization of silicon bipolar junction transistor 60 years ago, a whole array of silicon power semiconductor devices have been developed and commercialized. These devices enable power electronics systems to reach ultrahigh efficiency and high-power capacity needed for various smart grid and renewable energy system applications such as photovoltaic (PV), wind, energy storage, electric vehicle (EV), flexible ac transmission system (FACTS), and high voltage dc (HVDC) transmission. In the last two decades, newer generations of power semiconductor devices based on wide bandgap (WBG) materials, such as SiC and GaN, were developed and commercialized further pushing the boundary of power semiconductor devices to higher voltages, higher frequencies, and higher temperatures. This paper reviews some of the major power semiconductor devices technologies and their potential impacts and roadmaps.

Methodology for Wide Band-Gap Device Dynamic Characterization

Abstract: The double pulse test (DPT) is a widely accepted method to evaluate the dynamic behavior of power devices. Considering the high switching-speed capability of wide band-gap devices, the test results are very sensitive to the alignment of voltage and current (V-I) measurements. Also, because of the shoot-through current induced by Cdv/dt (i.e., cross-talk), the switching losses of the nonoperating switch device in a phase-leg must be considered in addition to the operating device. This paper summarizes the key issues of the DPT, including components and layout design, measurement considerations, grounding effects, and data processing. Additionally, a practical method is proposed for phase-leg switching loss evaluation by calculating the difference between the input energy supplied by a dc capacitor and the output energy stored in a load inductor. Based on a phase-leg power module built with 1200-V/50-A SiC MOSFETs, the test results show that this method can accurately evaluate the switching loss of both the upper and lower switches by detecting only one switching current and voltage, and it is immune to V-I timing misalignment errors.

A review of SiC power module packaging: Layout, material system and integration

Abstract: Silicon-Carbide (SiC) devices with superior performance over traditional silicon power devices have become the prime candidates for future high-performance power electronics energy conversion. Traditional device packaging becomes a limiting factor in fully realizing the benefits offered by SiC power devices, and thus, improved and advanced packaging structures are required to bridge the gap between SiC devices and their applications. This paper provides a review of the state-of-art advanced module packaging technologies for SiC devices with the focuses on module layout, packaging material system, and module integration trend, and links these packaging advancements to their impacts on the SiC device performances. Through this review, the paper discusses main challenges and potential solutions for SiC modules, which is critical for future SiC applications.

Electrical power system essentials

Abstract: Preface 1 Introduction to Power System Analysis 11 Introduction 12 Scope of the Material 13 General Characteristics of Power Systems 14 Phasors 15 Equivalent Line-To-Neutral Diagrams 16 Power in Single-phase Circuits 17 Power in Three-phase Circuits 18 Per Unit Normalization 19 Power System Structure 2 The Generation of Electric Energy 21 Introduction 22 Thermal Power Plants 23 Nuclear Power Plants 24 Renewable Energy 25 The Synchronous Machine 3 The Transmission of Electric Energy 31 Introduction 32 Transmission and Distribution Network 33 Network Structures 34 Substations 35 Substation Concepts 36 Protection of Transmission And Distribution Networks 37 Transformers 38 Power Carriers 4 The Utilization of Electric Energy 41 Introduction 42 Types of Load 43 Classification of Grid Users 5 Power System Control 51 Introduction 52 Basics of Power System Control 53 Active Power and Frequency Control 54 Voltage Control and Reactive Power 55 Control of Transported Power 56 Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) 6 Energy Management Systems 61 Introduction 62 Loadflow or Power Flow Computation 63 Optimal Powerflow 64 State Estimator 7 Electricity Markets 71 Introduction 72 Electricity Market Structure 73 Market Clearing 74 Social Welfare 75 Market Coupling 8 Future Power Systems 81 Introduction 82 Renewable Energy 83 Decentralized Or Distributed Generation 84 Power-electronic Interfaces 85 Energy Storage 86 Blackouts and Chaotic Phenomena Appendices A Maxwell's Laws A1 Introduction A2 Power Series Approach To Time-varying Fields A3 Quasi-Static Field Of A Parallel-plate Capacitor A4 Quasi-Static Field Of A Single-turn Inductor A5 Quasi-Static Field Of A Resistor A6 Circuit Modeling B Power Transformer Model B1 Introduction B2 The Ideal Transformer B3 Magnetically-Coupled Coils B4 The Non-ideal Transformer B5 Three-phase Transformer C Synchronous Machine Model C1 Introduction C2 The Primitive Synchronous Machine C3 The Single-phase Synchronous Machine C4 The Three-phase Synchronous Machine C5 Synchronous Generator In The Power System D Induction Machine Model D1 Introduction D2 The Basic Principle of The Induction Machine D3 The Magnetic Field In The Air-Gap D4 A Simple Circuit Model For The Induction Machine D5 Induction Motor In The Power System E The Representation of Lines And Cables E1 Introduction E2 The Long Transmission Line E3 The Medium-length Transmission Line E4 The Short Transmission Line E5 Comparison of The Three Line Models E6 The Underground Cable References List of Abbreviations List of Symbols Index

Optimum Number of Cascaded Cells for High-Power Medium-Voltage AC-DC Converters

Abstract: For power electronic systems to interface medium-voltage grids, e.g., in future electric ships, usually cascaded cells converters need to be employed, whereby either few cells featuring power semiconductors with high blocking voltage capability or a larger number of cells using low-voltage (LV) semiconductors can be used. As shown in this paper, physics-inspired empirical models of the dependence of Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) power modules' loss-relevant characteristics on the blocking voltage enable an analytic optimization of the efficiency of a cascaded H-bridges (ac-dc) converter, which is complemented by a full efficiency versus power density ηρ-Pareto optimization. For a 10-kV grid, 1200V or 1700V are identified as optimum blocking voltages, resulting in a suitable trade-off between efficiency and power density. Significant efficiency and power density gains can be realized by replacing silicon IGBTs by LV silicon carbide (SiC) devices in multi-cell systems, whereas single-cell designs based on high-voltage SiC devices suffer from the high dv/dt and di/dt values required to limit switching losses. Reliability is analyzed considering redundancy, showing that the reliability of designs based on lower blocking voltages can be comparable with that of designs using higher blocking voltages, and hence fewer cells, if similar effort concerning additionally installed power capability is considered.

Power system stability analysis under increasing penetration of photovoltaic power plants with synchronous power controllers

Abstract: The utilisation of renewable sources brings many benefits to electric power systems, but also some challenges such as the impact that renewable power plants employing power electronics have on the grid, which is gaining importance as the penetration of this type of generating stations increases, driven by the construction of large wind or solar photovoltaic (PV) power plants. This study analyses the impact of large-scale PV power plants on a transmission grid for different penetration levels. The analysis considers power plants formed by a number of power converters employing synchronous power controllers (SPCs), that allow them to have a harmonious interaction with the grid, and compares their performance with that of conventional power converter controllers, assuming in both cases that the power plants participate in frequency and voltage regulation. The study addresses both the small-signal stability of the system and its response to large disturbances that alter the active power balance and frequency stability. The results of the analysis show that PV power plants using SPCs are able to limit frequency deviations, improve the oscillation damping, and reduce the stress of other generating units, thus having a beneficial impact on the power system.

Failure and Reliability Analysis of a SiC Power Module Based on Stress Comparison to a Si Device

Abstract: The superior electro-thermal properties of silicon carbide (SiC) power devices permit higher temperature of operation and enable higher power density compared with silicon devices. Nevertheless, the reliability of SiC power modules has been identified as a major area of uncertainty in applications which require high reliability. Traditional power module packaging methods developed for silicon chips have been adopted for SiC and the different thermomechanical properties cause different fatigue stresses on the solder layer of the chip. In this paper, a 2-D finite element model has been developed to evaluate the stress performance and lifetime of the solder layer for Si devices, which has been validated using accelerated power cycling tests on Si IGBTs. The proposed model was extrapolated for SiC devices of the same voltage and current rating using the same solder material and the results show that under the same cyclic power loss profile the induced stress and strain energy in the die attach layer is much higher and concentrates on the die/solder interfacial area for SiC chips. Using the validated stress-based model, the lifetime can be quantified when SiC chips are used. This ability to extrapolate the available power cycling and lifetime data of silicon chips to SiC chips would be a key element for developing reliable packaging methods for SiC devices.

A 50-kW High-Frequency and High-Efficiency SiC Voltage Source Inverter for More Electric Aircraft

Abstract: High power density is required for power converter in more electric aircraft due to the strict demands of volume and weight, which makes silicon carbide (SiC) extremely attractive for this application. In this paper, a prototype of 50-kW SiC two-level three-phase voltage source inverter is demonstrated with a gravimetric power density of 26 kW/kg (without inclusion of filter). A gate assisted circuit is introduced to reduce the switching loss. In addition, the ringings of voltage and current due to parasitic parameters during the switching transition can also be mitigated. A mathematical model with consideration of various parasitic parameters is developed, which illustrates the parasitic effects in high-speed switching SiC power module. The converter is operated at a switching frequency up to 100 kHz and a narrow dead band of 250 ns. The measured efficiency is 97.91%.

Review of power semiconductor device reliability for power converters

Abstract: The investigation shows that power semiconductor devices are the most fragile components of power electronic systems.Improving the reliability of power devices is the basis of a reliable power electronic system, and in recent years, many studies have focused on power device reliability.This paper describes the current state of the art in reliability research for power semiconductor devices, mainly includes failure mechanisms,condition monitoring, lifetime evaluation and active thermal control.Among them,condition monitoring technology are classified and summarized by the failure mechanism and the change rules of characteristic quantities; The method of lifetime estimation isillustrated from the practical point of view;Methods of active thermal control are classified and summarized from the two ideas of reducing loss and loss compensation which are refined by the principle of realization. At last, this paper draws the existing problems and challenges of power devices reliability studies.

All-SiC 9.5 kW/dm 3 On-Board Power Electronics for 50 kW/85 kHz Automotive IPT System

Abstract: Inductive power transfer (IPT) is widely discussed for the automated opportunity charging of plug-in hybrid and electric public transport buses without moving mechanical components and reduced maintenance requirements. In this paper, the design of an on-board active rectifier and dc-dc converter for interfacing the receiver coil of a 50 kW/85 kHz IPT system is designed. Both conversion stages employ 1.2 kV SiC MOSFET devices for their low switching losses. For the dc-dc conversion, a modular, nonisolated buck+boost-type topology with coupled magnetic devices is used for increasing the power density. For the presented hardware prototype, a power density of 9.5 kW/dm 3 (or 156 W/in 3 ) is achieved, while the ac-dc efficiency from the IPT receiver coil to the vehicle battery is 98.6%. Comprehensive experimental results are presented throughout this paper to support the theoretical analysis.

Switching Characterization and Short-Circuit Protection of 1200 V SiC MOSFET T-Type Module in PV Inverter Application

Abstract: In this paper, a 1200 V, 100 A T-type full SiC power module is evaluated in a five-level T-type photovoltaic (PV) inverter. The T-type module is characterized with double pulse test, and based on the results, loss evaluation of the PV inverter is performed. The high power density of 27 W/in3 and 3 kW/kg, and the peak efficiency of 99.2% are achieved for the lab prototype. A de-sat based short-circuit protection scheme using commercial driver chip ACPL339J is presented and experimentally verified on the PV inverter prototype. With the presented circuit, less than 600 ns response time is realized, and a two-stage soft turn-off circuit with gate voltage clamping is implemented. A gate voltage stabilizer circuit without affecting the switching loss is also proposed to prevent false trigger. Experimental results show the superior performance of the T-type module-based PV inverter and demonstrate the effectiveness of the protection scheme.

Development of an Indoor Photovoltaic Energy Harvesting Module for Autonomous Sensors in Building Air Quality Applications

Abstract: A 50 mm ${\times } \,\, 20$ mm ${\times } \,\, 15$ mm indoor photovoltaic (PV) energy harvesting power module (IPEHPM) has been developed for powering an Internet of Things (IoT) sensor node containing a low-power CO2 sensor for automatic building ventilation It is composed of a high efficiency PV energy harvesting module and a supercapacitor to produce 36–42 V output voltage with 100 mA pulse current for up to 600 ms Storage efficiency analysis and storage efficiency tests of the IPEHPM have demonstrated that with the adopted simple power management scheme, which exempts the commonly used power management blocks of the voltage regulator and the maximum power point tracking to save power, 887% average storage efficiency has been achieved at 200 lux With the newly established PV powering model, the power consumption requirements of an IoT node can be directly converted into the illumination requirements of the PV energy harvester, making the IPEHPM easy to use IPEHPM powered IoT experiments with a low-power CO2 gas sensor have demonstrated that the IPEHPM is suitable for IoT-based building ventilation applications, where the CO2 concentration level is measured every 150 s at the indoor lighting condition down to 200 lux

A Short-Circuit Safe Operation Area Identification Criterion for SiC MOSFET Power Modules

Abstract: This paper proposes a new method for the investigation of the short-circuit safe operation area (SCSOA) of state-of-the-art SiC MOSFET power modules rated at 1.2 kV based on the variations in SiC MOSFET electrical parameters (e.g., short-circuit current and gate–source voltage). According to the experimental results, two different failure mechanisms have been identified, both reducing the short-circuit capability of SiC power modules with respect to discrete SiC devices. Based on such failure mechanisms, two short-circuit safety criteria have been formulated: 1) the short-circuit-current-based criterion; and 2) the gate-voltage-based criterion. The applicability of these two criteria makes possible the SCSOA evaluation of SiC MOSFETs with some safety margins in order to avoid unnecessary failures during their SCSOA characterization. SiC MOSFET power modules from two different manufacturers are experimentally tested in order to demonstrate the procedure of the method. The obtained results can be used to have a better insight of the SCSOA of SiC MOSFETs and their physical limits.

Power Quality Enhancement for a Grid Connected Wind Turbine Energy System

Abstract: A comprehensive control of a wind turbine system connected to an industrial plant is discussed in this paper, where an algorithm has been developed allowing a control structure that utilizes a four-leg inverter connected to the grid side to inject the available energy, as well as to work as an active power filter mitigating load current disturbances and enhancing power quality. A four-wire system is considered with three-phase and single-phase linear and nonlinear loads. During the connection of the wind turbine, the utility-side controller is designed to compensate the disturbances caused in presence of reactive, nonlinear, and/or unbalanced single- and intra-phase loads, in addition to providing active and reactive power as required. When there is no wind power available, the controller is intended to improve the power quality using the dc-link capacitor with the power converter attached to the grid. The main difference of the proposed methodology with respect to others in the literature is that the proposed control structure is based on the conservative power theory decompositions. This choice provides decoupled power and current references for the inverter control, offering very flexible, selective, and powerful functionalities. Real-time software benchmarking has been conducted in order to evaluate the performance of the proposed control algorithm for full real-time implementation. The control methodology is implemented and validated in hardware-in-the-loop based on the real time simulator “Opal-RT” and a TMSF28335 DSP microcontroller. The results corroborated our power quality enhancement control and allowed to exclude passive filters, contributing to a more compact, flexible, and reliable electronic implementation of a smart-grid based control.

Improved Vehicle-to-Home (iV2H) Operation Mode: Experimental Analysis of the Electric Vehicle as Off-Line UPS

Abstract: This paper presents experimental results of electric vehicle (EV) operation as an off-line uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Besides the traditional grid-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-grid modes, this paper presents an improved vehicle-to-home operation mode. This new operation mode consists of the detection of a power outage in the power grid and the change of the EV battery charger control to operate as an off-line UPS. When the power grid voltage is restored, the voltage produced by the on-board EV battery charger is slowly synchronized with the power grid voltage before a complete transition to the normal mode. This paper presents results of two algorithms to detect a power outage: the root mean square (rms) calculation method based on half-cycle of the power grid voltage, and the rms estimation based on a Kalman filter. The experimental results were obtained in steady and transient state considering two cases with the EV plugged in at home: when charging the batteries and without charging the batteries. This paper describes the EV battery charger, the power outage detection methods, and the voltage and current control strategies.

Self-Tuning Power Supply for Inductive Charging

Abstract: Inductive power transfer (IPT) systems for electric vehicle (EV) charging often have to operate under a wide range of coupling factors and loads, potentially mistuning the primary power supply. This is especially a problem in dynamic applications where the vehicles are moving. This paper investigates the design of a self-tuning power supply by utilizing a switchable bank of capacitors with a push-pull tuning topology. The proposed power supply is able to handle operation under a wide range of coupling factors and loading conditions while achieving ZVS operation at a fixed frequency. A mathematical model is developed to model the system and an experimental system is built to test the design. The experimental system is able to deliver a constant 1 kW over a coupling factor range of 0.1-0.33. A detection circuit to monitor the state of tuning of the power supply is presented along with a control scheme to maintain optimal tuning.

Future Shipboard MVdc System Protection Requirements and Solid-State Protective Device Topological Tradeoffs

Abstract: The search for the optimum architecture for shipboard medium voltage dc integrated power systems must take into account the short-circuit protection in addition to overarching goals of efficiency, survivability, reliability of power, and cost effectiveness. Presently, accepted approaches to protection are “unit-based,” which means the power converter(s) feeding the bus coordinate with no-load electromechanical switches to isolate faulted portions of the bus. However, “breaker-based” approaches, which rely upon solid-state circuit breakers for fault mitigation, can result in higher reliability of power and potentially higher survivability. The inherent speed of operation of solid-state protective devices will also play a role in fault isolation, hence reducing stress level on all system components. A comparison study is performed of protective device topologies that are suitable for shipboard distribution systems rated between 4 and 30 kVdc from the perspectives of size and number of passive components required to manage the commutation energy during sudden fault events and packaging scalability to higher current and voltage systems. The implementation assumes a multichip silicon carbide (SiC) 10-kV, 240-A MOSFET/junction barrier Schottkey (JBS) diode module.

A Double-End Sourced Wire-Bonded Multichip SiC MOSFET Power Module With Improved Dynamic Current Sharing

Abstract: This paper proposes a double-end sourced layout for multichip SiC MOSFET power module adopting conventional wire-bonded packaging technology. The unique design provides each MOSFET with two parallel commutation loops by incorporating a symmetrical pair of dc-bus terminals into the power module. This new layout provides symmetrical equivalent power loops to each paralleled MOSFET and thus enables consistent switching performances and equal dynamic current sharing for the paralleled MOSFETs. Compared to the conventional design, the proposed design reduces the equivalent power-loop stray inductance by more than 50% and achieves improved dynamic current sharing among devices. By mitigating the imbalance of the switching current, the new module design demonstrated reduced temperature differences among devices and decreased near-field radiation noise level compared to the conventional layout. These features can further help to improve the power module density by shrinking the heat sink and integrating the gate driver board with the power modules. In this paper, an analytic model has been proposed for fast prediction of the near-field radiation from the power module. Detailed design procedures and experimental validations are also included in this paper.

Electric Spring for Voltage and Power Stability and Power Factor Correction

Abstract: Electric spring (ES), a new smart grid technology, has earlier been used for providing voltage and power stability in a weakly regulated/stand-alone renewable energy source powered grid. It has been proposed as a demand-side management technique to provide voltage and power regulation. In this paper, a new control scheme is presented for the implementation of the ES, in conjunction with noncritical building loads like electric heaters, refrigerators, and central air conditioning system. This control scheme would be able to provide power factor correction of the system, voltage support, and power balance for the critical loads, such as the building's security system, in addition to the existing characteristics of ES of voltage and power stability. The proposed control scheme is compared with original ES's control scheme where only reactive power is injected. The improvised control scheme opens new avenues for the utilization of the ES to a greater extent by providing voltage and power stability and enhancing the power quality in the renewable energy powered microgrids.

An SiC-Based Half-Bridge Module With an Improved Hybrid Packaging Method for High Power Density Applications

Abstract: SiC devices have the potential to structure high power density converters; however, SiC devices have high d i /d t during switching. Therefore, the parasitic inductances in the power loop and gating loop must be reduced to restrain the induced voltage. This paper proposes a SiC-based, half-bridge (HB) module with a hybrid packaging method. Such a module is based on printed circuit board (PCB) plus direct bonding copper (DBC) structure. The DBC provides part of power loops, and the SiC bare dies can be directly soldered on these loops; the PCB provides another part of the power loops, as well as the gating loops. Such a design allows the power loops on the PCB to be soldered with those on the DBC directly; in the meantime, the SiC bare dies soldered on the DBC can be connected to the PCB with bounding wires. Such a structure provides extra degrees of freedom for design so that the parasitic inductances can be minimized by optimizing the current communication loops, driver locations, and the gating connections, and the heat can also be dissipated through the direct cooling structure easily. A 1200 V/24 A SiC HB module is fabricated with the proposed method in the laboratory, and based on the fabricated module, a synchronous buck converter with power density of 379.3 W/in3 is also structured. The double pulse test shows that the fabricated module can be switched within 10 ns and that the drain-source voltage overshoot is only 2.5%. The highest efficiency of the converter based on the fabricated module is up to 99.46%.

Use of Smart Loads for Power Quality Improvement

Abstract: Electric spring (ES) was originally proposed as a distributed demand-side management technology for making noncritical loads adaptive to the availability of intermittent renewable power generation. The second generation of ES, fed with batteries (ES-2) and associated with a noncritical load, can form a new kind of combined smart load and distributed energy storage technology for smart grids. With its four-quadrant operation, ES-2 is able to offer ancillary grid services in addition to its major functions of voltage and frequency regulation. This paper presents the operating principles and the input current control of ES-2 for power quality improvement such as power factor correction and harmonics reduction. The operating principles and the proposed input current control have been verified with the experimental results obtained from a small-scale power grid. Another weak single-phase power system fed by intermittent wind power is set up to prove the combined operation of ES-2 for power quality improvement and ES-1 (ES with capacitor storage) for voltage stabilization. The experimental results show that ES-2 with input current control can carry out power quality improvement as its ancillary function.

PV-based virtual synchronous generator with variable inertia to enhance power system transient stability utilizing the energy storage system

Abstract: The Photovoltaic (PV) plants are significantly different from the conventional synchronous generators in terms of physical and electrical characteristics, as it connects to the power grid through the voltage-source converters. High penetration PV in power system will bring several critical challenges to the safe operation of power grid including transient stability. To address this problem, the paper proposes a control strategy to help the PVs work like a synchronous generator with variable inertia by energy storage system (ESS). First, the overall control strategy of the PV-based virtual synchronous generator (PV-VSG) is illustrated. Then the control strategies for the variable inertia of the PV-VSG are designed to attenuate the transient energy of the power system after the fault. Simulation results of a simple power system show that the PV-VSG could utilize the energy preserved in the ESS to balance the transient energy variation of power grid after fault and improve the transient stability of the power system.

Overview of power electronics technology and applications in power generation transmission and distribution

Abstract: The main objective of this paper is three-fold. First, to provide an overview of the current status of the power electronics technology, one of the key actors in the upcoming smart grid paradigm enabling maximum power throughputs and near-instantaneous control of voltages and currents in all links of the power system chain. Second, to provide a bridge between the power systems and the power electronic communities, in terms of their differing appreciation of how these devices perform when connected to the power grid. Third, to discuss on the role that the power electronics technology will play in supporting the aims and objectives of future decarbonized power systems. This paper merges the equipment, control techniques and methods used in flexible alternating current transmission systems (FACTS) and high voltage direct transmission (HVDC) equipment to enable a single, coherent approach to address a specific power system problem, using ‘best of breed’ solutions bearing in mind technical, economic and environmental issues.

Intelligent bicycle lock and satellite positioning based bicycle rental system applied thereby

Abstract: The invention discloses an intelligent bicycle lock, which comprises an intelligent lock body equipped with a scan code, a power module arranged on the intelligent lock body, and a control module connected to the power module The control module is connected to a motor, a lock state monitoring unit, an alarm module, a running state monitoring module, a GSM communication module and a positioning module at the same time The invention includes intelligent positioning bicycle lock equipment, which is internally equipped with a BD-2/GPS module, a GSM module, a bicycle lock control module, an alarm module, and a power management module, etc A user can view the quantity of facilities within a surrounding set fence at a mobile phone client, rent and return a bicycle, and the management background can inquire the bicycle and user riding position, state and the like at any time The intelligent bicycle lock and the bicycle rental system can enhance the service functions of bicycles to the user, at the same time can effectively monitor the bicycle operation and the equipment condition, also can guide bicycle parking at a designated area and display a nearby parking area, thus greatly improving the bicycle taking and parking management order

High Performance Silicon Carbide Power Packaging—Past Trends, Present Practices, and Future Directions

Abstract: This paper presents a vision for the future of 3D packaging and integration of silicon carbide (SiC) power modules. Several major achievements and novel architectures in SiC modules from the past and present have been highlighted. Having considered these advancements, the major technology barriers preventing SiC power devices from performing to their fullest ability were identified. 3D wire bondless approaches adopted for enhancing the performance of silicon power modules were surveyed, and their merits were assessed to serve as a vision for the future of SiC power packaging. Current efforts pursuing 3D wire bondless SiC power modules were described, and the concept for a novel SiC power module was discussed.

Application of SiC power electronic devices in secondary power source for aircraft

Abstract: In order to improve the efficiency, reliability and maintainability of the aircraft, the aerospace world has found in progressive electrification that reduces or removes the hydraulic, mechanical and pneumatic power systems. Power devices are widely applied in power system, while conventional Si power devices have reached the theoretical limitation. Admittedly, many advantages, such as high breakdown electric field strength, high saturated electron drift velocity and high thermal conductivity can be seen from SiC semiconductor material, and SiC power electronic devices made of which can have the ability to adapt to high voltage, high power, high frequency, high temperature and other harsh environment. This paper presents an overview of SiC power electronic devices used for the secondary power source in aerospace, through the comparison of power electronic devices between SiC and Si, the advantages of SiC devices and the development are analyzed, on the basis of which, emphatically discussed the application status of SiC devices in secondary power source, including aeronautical static inverter, transformer rectifier unit, DC-DC converter, and motor drive. In the end, the existing problems in the application of SiC power electronic devices are discussed, as well as the impacts on aviation technology.

Planar Magnetic Components in More Electric Aircraft: Review of Technology and Key Parameters for DC–DC Power Electronic Converter

Abstract: The more electric aircraft (MEA) has motivated aircraft manufacturers since few decades. Indeed, their investigations lead to the increase of electric power in airplanes. The challenge is to decrease the weight of embedded systems and therefore, the fuel consumption. This is possible thanks to new efficient power electronic converters made of new components. As magnetic components represent a great proportion of their weight, planar components are an interesting solution to increase the power density of some switching mode power supplies. This paper presents the benefits and drawbacks of high-frequency planar transformers in dc/dc converters, different models developed for their design and different issues in MEA context related to planar’s specific geometry and technology.

A high power-density and high efficiency insulated metal substrate based GaN HEMT power module

Abstract: Industry is adopting GaN HEMTs in 3kW or higher power systems, which exhibit excellent figure of merit compared to conventional Silicon devices. Thermal considerations as well as circuit parasitics in high power and high density GaN-based systems play a significant role in achieving overall performance. A high density and high efficiency Insulated Metal Substrate (IMS) based GaN HEMT power module design is proposed in this paper. FEM simulation and experiments are performed to verify the thermal and electrical performance. Excellent consistency has been shown between the simulation and experimental results.

Design of a low parasitic inductance SiC power module with double-sided cooling

Abstract: In this paper, a low parasitic inductance SiC power module with double-sided cooling is designed and compared with a baseline double-sided cooled module With the unique 3D layout utilizing vertical interconnection, the power loop inductance is effectively reduced without sacrificing the thermal performance Both simulations and experiments are carried out to validate the design Q3D simulation results show a power loop inductance of 163 nH, verified by the experiment, indicating more than 60% reduction of power loop inductance compared with the baseline module With 0Ω external gate resistance turn-off at 600V, the voltage overshoot is less than 9% of the bus voltage at a load of 446A

PCB Embedded Semiconductors for Low-Voltage Power Electronic Applications

Abstract: Power conversion applications in the low voltage (LV) range (≤ 1.2 kV)—such as three-phase inverters—are required to operate at higher efficiencies, higher ambient temperatures, increasingly smaller form factor, and higher power density. Up to now, most research has focused on voltages up to 650 V for printed circuit board (PCB) embedded power electronics. This research evaluates a novel three-phase invertor module based on six insulated gate bipolar transistors and six diodes rated to 1.2 kV and 25 A each. This unique module is compared to the Semikron MiniSKiiP 23AC126V1. This paper considers some key details of the PCB embedding assembly process, a comparative switching performance assessment, measurement of thermal resistance, comparative lifetime, and electric insulation. First, a detailed outline of the package is presented including the top- and bottom-side metallization and the copper interconnect technology. The switching performances of both modules are compared for turn-ON and turn-OFF currents for a waveform at 600 V and 25 A at 150 °C. A finite-element-method thermal simulation demonstrates up to 44% lower thermal resistance for the PCB embedded package than that of the traditional wire-bonded direct bonded copper (DBC) package for an identical applied current and cooling condition. Furthermore, both packages are active power cycled to failure with the PCB embedded package demonstrating superior lifetime to the traditional DBC module. Finally, the maximum breakdown limit and the onset of partial discharge with the embedded PCB module are reported for both aged and non-aged conditions. The overall findings identify the promising application of PCB embedded power electronics for LV power conversion.