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GaN Power Devices for Efficient Power Conversion. Edition No. 4

  • Book

  • 496 Pages
  • February 2025
  • John Wiley and Sons Ltd
  • ID: 5990360
An up-to-date and concise review of GaN transistor design and applications

In the newly revised fourth edition of GaN Power Devices for Efficient Power Conversion, a team of distinguished researchers and practicing engineers deliver a concise and effective new guide to designing small, energy-efficient, and inexpensive products with GaN transistors. This new edition covers all relevant new GaN technology advancements, allowing students and practicing engineers to get, and stay ahead of, the curve with GaN device and circuit technology.

You’ll explore applications including DC to DC converters, solar inverters, motor drive controllers, satellite electronics, and LiDAR devices. The 4th edition offers critical updates for space applications, vertical GaN, and driving transistors and integrated circuits. New chapters on reliability testing advancements, device wear out mechanisms, thermal management, and the latest developments in monolithic integration round out the book.

Readers will also find: - The latest updates on significant technology improvements, like integrated circuits, reliability studies, and new applications- Comprehensive explorations of integrated circuit construction, characteristics, reliability results, and applications- Practical discussions of specific circuit designs, layout, and thermal dissipation when designing power conversion systems- Chapters written by practicing expert leaders in the power semiconductor field and industry pioneers

Perfect for practicing power conversion engineers, GaN Power Devices for Efficient Power Conversion will also benefit electrical engineering students and device scientists in the field of power electronics.

Table of Contents

Foreword xi

Acknowledgments xiii

1 GaN Technology Overview 1

1.1 Silicon Power MOSFETs: 1976-2010 1

1.2 The GaN Journey Begins 2

1.3 GaN and SiC Compared with Silicon 2

1.4 The Basic GaN Transistor Structure 6

1.5 Building a GaN HEMT Transistor 11

1.6 GaN Integrated Circuits 15

1.7 Summary 21

References 22

2 GaN Transistor Electrical Characteristics 25

2.1 Introduction 25

2.2 Device Ratings 25

2.3 Gate Voltage 30

2.4 On-Resistance (R DS(on)) 31

2.5 Threshold Voltage 34

2.6 Capacitance and Charge 35

2.7 Reverse Conduction 38

2.8 Thermal Characteristics 40

2.9 Summary 42

References 42

3 Driving GaN Transistors 45

3.1 Introduction 45

3.2 Gate Drive Voltage 47

3.3 Gate Drive Resistance 48

3.4 dv/dt Considerations 50

3.5 di/dt Considerations 53

3.6 Bootstrapping and Floating Supplies 56

3.7 Transient Immunity 59

3.8 Gate Drivers and Controllers for Enhancement-Mode GaN Transistors 61

3.9 Cascode, Direct Drive, and Higher-Voltage Configurations 61

3.10 Using GaN Transistors with Drivers or Controllers Designed for Si MOSFETs 67

3.11 Driving GaN ICs 68

3.12 Summary 69

References 70

4 Layout Considerations for GaN Transistor Circuits 75

4.1 Introduction 75

4.2 Origin of Parasitic Inductance 76

4.3 Minimizing Common-Source Inductance 77

4.4 Minimizing Power-Loop Inductance in a Half-Bridge Configuration 79

4.5 Paralleling GaN Transistors 85

4.6 Summary 93

References 93

5 GaN Reliability 95

5.1 Introduction 95

5.2 Getting Started with GaN Reliability 95

5.3 Determining Wear-Out Mechanisms Using Test-to-Fail Methodology 95

5.4 Using Test-to-Fail Results to Predict Device Lifetime in a System 98

5.5 Wear-Out Mechanisms 99

5.6 Mission-Specific Reliability Predictions 133

5.7 Summary 150

References 150

6 Thermal Management of GaN Devices 155

6.1 Introduction 155

6.2 Thermal Equivalent Circuits 155

6.3 Cooling Methods 160

6.4 System-Level Thermal Overview: Single FET 163

6.5 System-Level Thermal Analysis: Multiple FETs 176

6.6 Experimental Thermal Examples 182

6.7 Summary 191

References 191

7 Hard-Switching Topologies 195

7.1 Introduction 195

7.2 Hard-Switching Loss Analysis 196

7.3 External Factors Impacting Hard-Switching Losses 217

7.4 Frequency Impact on Magnetics 223

7.5 Buck Converter Example 224

7.6 Summary 245

References 245

8 Resonant and Soft-Switching Converters 249

8.1 Introduction 249

8.2 Resonant and Soft-Switching Techniques 249

8.3 Key Device Parameters for Resonant and Soft-Switching Applications 254

8.4 High-Frequency Resonant Bus Converter Example 261

8.5 Summary 269

References 271

9 RF Performance 273

9.1 Introduction 273

9.2 Differences Between RF and Switching Transistors 275

9.3 RF Basics 276

9.4 RF Transistor Metrics 277

9.5 Amplifier Design Using Small-Signal s-Parameters 284

9.6 Amplifier Design Example 285

9.7 Summary 292

References 292

10 DC-DC Power Conversion 295

10.1 Introduction 295

10.2 DC-DC Converter Examples 295

10.3 Summary 317

References 318

11 Multilevel Converters 321

11.1 Introduction 321

11.2 Benefits of Multilevel Converters 321

11.3 Experimental Examples 338

11.4 Summary 348

References 348

12 Class D Audio Amplifiers 351

12.1 Introduction 351

12.2 GaN Transistor Class D Audio Amplifier Example 355

12.3 Summary 364

References 364

13 High Current Nanosecond Laser Drivers for Lidar 367

13.1 Introduction to Light Detection and Ranging (Lidar) 367

13.2 Pulsed Laser Driver Overview 368

13.3 Basic Design Process 378

13.4 Hardware Driver Design 384

13.5 Experimental Results 388

13.6 Additional Considerations for Laser Transmitter Design 394

13.7 Summary 399

References 399

14 Motor Drives 403

14.1 Introduction 403

14.2 Motor Types 403

14.3 Inverter 403

14.4 Typical Applications 404

14.5 Voltage Source Inverters and Motor Control Basics 404

14.6 Field-Oriented Control Basics 408

14.7 Current Measurement Techniques 410

14.8 Power Dissipation in Motor and Inverter 411

14.9 Silicon Inverter Limitations 412

14.10 LC Filter Dissipation 412

14.11 Torque Sixth Harmonic Dissipation 413

14.12 GaN Advantage 413

14.13 GaN Switching Behavior 413

14.14 Dead Time Elimination Effect 414

14.15 PWM Frequency Increase Effect 415

14.16 Layout Considerations for Motor Drives 420

14.17 GaN Devices for Motor Applications 421

14.18 Application Examples 421

14.19 Summary 430

References 430

15 GaN Transistors and Integrated Circuits for Space Applications 433

15.1 Introduction 433

15.2 Failure Mechanisms in Electronic Components Used in Space Applications 433

15.3 Standards for Radiation Exposure and Tolerance 434

15.4 Gamma Radiation 434

15.5 Neutron Radiation (Displacement Damage) 437

15.6 Single-Event Effects (SEE) Testing 438

15.7 Performance Comparison Between GaN Transistors and Rad-Hard Si MOSFETs 440

15.8 GaN Integrated Circuits 441

15.9 Summary 445

References 445

16 Replacing Silicon Power MOSFETs 449

16.1 Introduction: GaN, Rapid Growth/Great Future 449

16.2 New Capabilities Enabled by GaN Devices 449

16.3 GaN Devices Are Easy to Use 453

16.4 GaN Cost Reduction over Time 454

16.5 GaN Devices Are Reliable 454

16.6 Future Direction of GaN Devices 455

16.7 Summary 456

References 456

Appendix Glossary of Terms 459

Index 477

Authors

Alex Lidow Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC), USA. Michael de Rooij Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC), USA. John Glaser Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC), USA. Alejandro Pozo Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC), USA. Shengke Zhang Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC), USA. Marco Palma Efficient Power Conversion Corporation (EPC), Italy. David Reusch Kilby Labs, Texas Instruments, USA. Johan Strydom Kilby Labs, Texas Instruments, USA.