Using gallium-nitride cascode switching devices for common mode electromagnetic interference reduction in power converters/inverters

• Published in: IET power electronics Vol. 9; no. 8; pp. 1727 - 1731
• Main Authors: Lin, Jhe-Yu, Chen, Dan, Hung, Chung-Wen, Huang, Zan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: The Institution of Engineering and Technology 29.06.2016
• Subjects: common mode electromagnetic interference reduction; conventional vertical power MOSFET; Devices; electromagnetic interference; Electronics; frequency 200 kHz to 500 kHz; front‐end power‐factor‐correction circuit; gallium compounds; Gallium nitrides; gallium‐nitride cascode switching devices; GaN; III‐V semiconductors; Inverters; invertors; line‐operated medium‐high frequency application; LLC power converter; medium‐power application; MOSFETs; Packages; power 200 W to 1000 W; Power converters; power converters‐inverters; power convertors; power factor correction; power semiconductor switches; Reduction; tab internal connection; TO‐220 package option; wide band gap semiconductors; medium-power application; gallium compounds; LLC power converter; power convertors; common mode electromagnetic interference reduction; tab internal connection; frequency 200 kHz to 500 kHz; line-operated medium-high frequency application; conventional vertical power MOSFET; invertors; gallium-nitride cascode switching devices; TO-220 package option; power 200 W to 1000 W; front-end power-factor-correction circuit; electromagnetic interference; GaN; wide band gap semiconductors; power factor correction; power converters-inverters; III-V semiconductors; power semiconductor switches
• ISSN: 1755-4535; 1755-4543; 1755-4543
• DOI: 10.1049/iet-pel.2015.0810

The gallium-nitride (GaN) cascode switch has received much attention recently for line-operated medium–high frequency (200 to 500 kHz) medium-power (200–1000 W) applications. Owing to its device structure, there are two TO-220 package options available with regard to the tab internal connection, unlike the conventional vertical power MOSFET. It is pointed out in this study that using proper package combination of GaN cascode devices, the electromagnetic interferences can be reduced in power converters/inverters. A 240 W 200 kHz LLC power converter with a front-end power-factor-correction circuit was built for experimental verification of the theory. Significant reduction was observed. Same theory can be applied to other converter/inverter configurations.