Arun Kadavelugu

Solid-State Transformer and MV Grid Tie Applications Enabled by 15 kV SiC IGBTs and 10 kV SiC MOSFETs Based Multilevel Converters

Medium-voltage (MV) SiC devices have been developed recently which can be used for three-phase MV grid tie applications. Two such devices, 15 kV SiC insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) and 10 kV SiC MOSFET, have opened up the possibilities of looking into different converter topologies for the MV distribution grid interface. These can be used in MV drives, active filter applications, or as the active front end converter for solid-state transformers (SSTs). The transformerless intelligent power substation (TIPS) is one such application for these devices. TIPS is proposed as a three-phase SST interconnecting a 13.8 kV distribution grid with a 480 V utility grid. It is an all SiC device-based multistage SST. This paper focuses on the advantages, design considerations, and challenges associated with the operation of converters using these devices keeping TIPS as the topology of reference. The efficiency of the TIPS topology is also calculated using the experimentally measured loss data of the devices and the high-frequency transformer. Experimental results captured on a developed prototype of TIPS along with its measured efficiency are also given.

Characterization of 15 kV SiC n-IGBT and its application considerations for high power converters

The 4H-SiC n-IGBT is a promising power semiconductor device for medium voltage power conversion. Currently, Cree has successfully built 15 kV n-IGBTs. These IGBTs are pivotal for the smart grid power conversion systems and medium voltage drives. The need for complex multi-level topologies or series connected devices can be eliminated, while achieving reduced power loss, by using the SiC IGBT. In this paper, characteristics of the 15 kV n-IGBT have been reported for the first time. The turn-on and turn-off transitions of the 15 kV, 20 A IGBT have been experimentally evaluated up to 11 kV. This is highest switching characterization voltage ever reported on a single power semiconductor device. The paper includes static characteristics up to 25 A (forward) and 12 kV (blocking). The dependency of the power loss with voltage, current and temperature are provided. In addition, the basic converter design considerations using this ultrahigh voltage IGBT for high power conversion applications are presented. Also, a comparative evaluation is reported with an IGBT with thicker field-stop buffer layer as a means to show flexibility in choosing the IGBT design parameters based on the power converter frequency and power rating specification. Finally, power loss comparison of the IGBTs and MOSFET is provided to consummate the results for a complete reference.

Design and hardware implementation of Gen-1 silicon based solid state transformer

This paper presents the design and hardware implementation and testing of 20kVA Gen-1 silicon based solid state transformer (SST), the high input voltage and high voltage isolation requirement are two major concerns for the SST design. So a 6.5kV 25A dual IGBT module has been customized packaged specially for this high voltage low current application, and an optically coupled high voltage sensor and IGBT gate driver has been designed in order to fulfill the high voltage isolation requirement. This paper also discusses the auxiliary power supply structure and thermal management for the SST power stage.

A Transformerless Intelligent Power Substation: A three-phase SST enabled by a 15-kV SiC IGBT

The solid-state transformer (SST) is a promising power electronics solution that provides voltage regulation, reactive power compensation, dc-sourced renewable integration, and communication capabilities, in addition to the traditional step-up/step-down functionality of a transformer. It is gaining widespread attention for medium-voltage (MV) grid interfacing to enable increases in renewable energy penetration, and, commercially, the SST is of interest for traction applications due to its light weight as a result of medium-frequency isolation. The recent advancements in silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor device technology are creating a new paradigm with the development of discrete power semiconductor devices in the range of 10-15 kV and even beyond-up to 22 kV, as recently reported. In contrast to silicon (Si) IGBTs, which are limited to 6.5-kV blocking, these high-voltage (HV) SiC devices are enabling much simpler converter topologies and increased efficiency and reliability, with dramatic reductions of the size and weight of the MV power-conversion systems. This article presents the first-ever demonstration results of a three-phase MV grid-connected 100-kVA SST enabled by 15-kV SiC n-IGBTs, with an emphasis on the system design and control considerations. The 15-kV SiC n-IGBTs were developed by Cree and packaged by Powerex. The low-voltage (LV) side of the SST is built with 1,200-V, 100-A SiC MOSFET modules. The galvanic isolation is provided by three single-phase 22-kV/800-V, 10-kHz, 35-kVA-rated high-frequency (HF) transformers. The three-phase all-SiC SST that interfaces with 13.8-kV and 480-V distribution grids is referred to as a transformerless intelligent power substation (TIPS). The characterization of the 15-kV SiC n-IGBTs, the development of the MV isolated gate driver, and the design, control, and system demonstration of the TIPS were undertaken by North Carolina State Universitys (NCSUs) Future Renewable Electrical Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Systems Center, sponsored by an Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) project.

High-frequency design considerations of dual active bridge 1200 V SiC MOSFET DC-DC converter

Silicon carbide (SiC) is more favorable than Silicon (Si) to build high voltage devices due its wider band-gap and higher critical field strength. Especially, the SiC MOSFETs are finding their niche in 1 kV range, which is currently dominated by Si IGBTs. This paper aims at demonstrating high power and high frequency operation of the SiC MOSFETs, as a means to evaluate the feasibility of using SiC MOSFETs for high power density applications. The sample devices chosen for this study are 1200 V, 20 A, SiC MOSFETs co-packed with 10 A JBS diodes — manufactured by the CREE Inc. A dual active bridge (DAB) converter has been built to validate the suitability of SiC devices for high power density converters. The design details of the DAB hardware, and the high frequency transformer used for interfacing both the bridges are given. Experimental results on the DAB at 100 kHz switching frequency are presented. Finally, the device switching waveforms up to 1 MHz are given.

Design considerations and development of gate driver for 15 kV SiC IGBT

The 15 kV SiC N-IGBT is the state-of-the-art high voltage power semiconductor device developed by Cree. The SiC IGBT is exposed to a peak stress of 10-11 kV in power converter systems, with punch-through turn-on dv/dt over 100 kV/μs and turn-off dv/dt about 35 kV/μs. Such high dv/dt requires ultralow coupling capacitance in the dc-dc isolation stage of the gate driver for maintaining fidelity of the signals on the control-supply ground side. Accelerated aging of the insulation in the isolation stage is another serious concern. In this paper, a simple transformer based isolation with a toroid core is investigated for the above requirements of the 15 kV IGBT. The gate driver prototype has been developed with over 100 kV dc insulation capability, and its inter-winding coupling capacitance has been found to be 3.4 pF and 13 pF at 50 MHz and 100 MHz respectively. The performance of the gate driver prototype has been evaluated up to the above mentioned specification using double-pulse tests on high-side IGBT in a half-bridge configuration. The continuous testing at 5 kHz has been performed till 8 kV, and turn-on dv/dt of 85 kV/μs on a buck-boost converter. The corresponding experimental results are presented. Also, the test methodology of evaluating the gate driver at such high voltage, without a high voltage power supply is discussed. Finally, experimental results validating fidelity of the signals on the control-ground side are provided to show the influence of increased inter-winding coupling capacitance on the performance of the gate driver.

Zero voltage switching performance of 1200V SiC MOSFET, 1200V silicon IGBT and 900V CoolMOS MOSFET

This paper evaluates zero voltage switching (ZVS) performance of 1200 V SiC MOSFET with respect to 1200 V silicon IGBTs (PT and FST) and 900 V CoolMOS MOSFET. The converter topology chosen for the study is a dual active bridge (DAB) dc-dc converter. Typically, in a high power DAB converter, ZVS is achieved through LC resonance of leakage inductance of the high frequency transformer and external capacitance across the drain and source (or collector and emitter for IGBTs) terminals. However, the SiC MOSFET offers a completely new set of parameters for ZVS when compared to its Silicon counterparts. In this paper, it is shown that a high power converter is possible with ZVS turn-on as well as low-loss turn-off using SiC MOSFETs, with out adding any external capacitance. The unique features of the SiC MOSFET that helps in achieving this are its CDS value, the variation of CDS with drain voltage, and low current turn-off time. The corresponding parameters of the silicon IGBTs and CoolMOS devices are presented to show the uniqueness of the SiC MOSFET. Simulation results corresponding to a 6 kW, 100 kHz DAB converter are presented with the SiC MOSFET as well as the silicon IGBTs and CoolMOS to provide a comparative ZVS performance.

Design Considerations of a 15-kV SiC IGBT-Based Medium-Voltage High-Frequency Isolated DC–DC Converter

A dual active bridge (DAB) is a zero-voltage switching (ZVS) high-power isolated dc-dc converter. The development of a 15-kV SiC insulated-gate bipolar transistor switching device has enabled a noncascaded medium voltage (MV) isolated dc-dc DAB converter. It offers simple control compared to a cascaded topology. However, a compact-size high frequency (HF) DAB transformer has significant parasitic capacitances for such voltage. Under high voltage and high dV/dT switching, the parasitics cause electromagnetic interference and switching loss. They also pose additional challenges for ZVS. The device capacitance and slowing of dV/dT play a major role in deadtime selection. Both the deadtime and transformer parasitics affect the ZVS operation of the DAB. Thus, for the MV-DAB design, the switching characteristics of the devices and MV HF transformer parasitics have to be closely coupled. For the ZVS mode, the current vector needs to be between converter voltage vectors with a certain phase angle defined by deadtime, parasitics, and desired converter duty ratio. This paper addresses the practical design challenges for an MV-DAB application.

Understanding dv/dt of 15 kV SiC N-IGBT and its control using active gate driver

The ultrahigh voltage (> 12 kV) SiC IGBTs are promising power semiconductor devices for medium voltage power conversion due to feasibility of simple two-level topologies, reduced component count and extremely high efficiency. However, the current devices generate high dv/dt during switching transitions because of the deep punch-through design. This paper investigates the behavior of dv/dt during the two-slope (different slopes before and after punch-through) turn-on and turn-off voltage transitions of these devices, by varying the device current, temperature and field-stop buffer layer design. It is shown that the dv/dt can be minimized by increasing the gate resistance, by taking the turn-on transition as reference. However, it is found that the increase in gate resistance has very weak impact on dv/dt above the punch-through voltage, and also resulting in significantly increased switching energy loss. It is shown that this problem can be addressed by using a two-stage active gate driver, where the gate current is appropriately controlled to limit the dv/dt over punch-through voltage and to minimize the switching energy loss under the punch-through voltage. Experimental results on 15 kV SiC N-IGBTs with field-stop buffer layer thickness of 2 μm and 5 μm are presented up to 11 kV with a detailed discussion of the results.

Experimental switching frequency limits of 15 kV SiC N-IGBT module

This paper presents extensive experimental switching characteristics of a state-of-the-art 15 kV SiC N-IGBT (0.32 cm2 active area) up to 10 kV, 10 A and 175°C. The influence of the thermal resistance of the module package, cooling mechanism, and the increased energy loss with temperature are investigated for determining the switching frequency limits of the IGBT. Detailed FEM analysis is conducted for extracting the thermal resistance of each layer in the 15 kV module from the IGBT junction to the base plate, and then down to the ambient. Using this thermal information and the experimental switching data, the inductive switching frequency limits are analytically evaluated for liquid and air cooling cases with 660 W/cm2 and 550 W/cm2 power dissipation densities respectively, considering 150°C as maximum junction temperature. The air cooling power dissipation density of the 15 kV IGBT is experimentally validated using a dc-dc boost converter at 10 kV, 6.4 kW output and 550 W/cm2 under steady state operating conditions. The gate resistances used for the entire experiments are RG(ON) = 20 Ω and RG(OFF) = 10 Ω.