Effect of the Heat Dissipation System on Hard-Switching GaN-Based Power Converters for Energy Conversion

David Lumbreras, Manel Vilella, Jordi Zaragoza, Néstor Berbel, Josep Jordà and Alfonso Collado
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David Lumbreras: Terrassa Industrial Electronics Group (TIEG), Department of Electronic Engineering, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, C/Colom, 1, 08222 Terrassa, Spain
Manel Vilella: Terrassa Industrial Electronics Group (TIEG), Department of Electronic Engineering, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, C/Colom, 1, 08222 Terrassa, Spain
Jordi Zaragoza: Terrassa Industrial Electronics Group (TIEG), Department of Electronic Engineering, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, C/Colom, 1, 08222 Terrassa, Spain
Néstor Berbel: Terrassa Industrial Electronics Group (TIEG), Department of Electronic Engineering, Polytechnic University of Catalonia, C/Colom, 1, 08222 Terrassa, Spain
Josep Jordà: R&D Power Electronics, Circutor S.A., Vial de Sant Jordi, 08232 Viladecavalls, Spain
Alfonso Collado: R&D Power Electronics, Circutor S.A., Vial de Sant Jordi, 08232 Viladecavalls, Spain

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 19, 1-28

Abstract: The design of a cooling system is critical in power converters based on wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductors. The use of gallium nitride enhancement-mode high-electron-mobility transistors (GaN e-HEMTs) is particularly challenging due to their small size and high power capability. In this paper, we model, study and compare the different heat dissipation systems proposed for high power density GaN-based power converters. Two dissipation systems are analysed in detail: bottom-side dissipation using thermal vias and top-side dissipation using different thermal interface materials. The effectiveness of both dissipation techniques is analysed using MATLAB/Simulink and PLECS. Furthermore, the impact of the dissipation system on the parasitic elements of the converter is studied using advanced design systems (ADS). The experimental results of the GaN-based converters show the effectiveness of the analysed heat dissipation systems and how top-side cooled converters have the lowest parasitic inductance among the studied power converters.

Keywords: dissipation systems; gallium nitride (GaN); hard-switching; parasitic inductance; power electronics; thermal modelling; thermal interface materials (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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