Unipolar Arc Ignited Partial Discharge for 650-V AlGaN/GaN HEMTs during the DC Breakdown Voltage Measurement

Jian-Hsing Lee (), Chih-Cherng Liao, Yeh-Jen Huang, Ching-Ho Li, Li-Yang Hong, Yeh-Ning Jou and Ke-Horng Chen
Additional contact information
Jian-Hsing Lee: Device Engineering Department, Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation, Hsinchu 300094, Taiwan
Chih-Cherng Liao: The Institute of Electronics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
Yeh-Jen Huang: Device Engineering Department, Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation, Hsinchu 300094, Taiwan
Ching-Ho Li: The Institute of Electronics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan
Li-Yang Hong: Device Engineering Department, Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation, Hsinchu 300094, Taiwan
Yeh-Ning Jou: Device Engineering Department, Vanguard International Semiconductor Corporation, Hsinchu 300094, Taiwan
Ke-Horng Chen: The Institute of Electronics, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu 30010, Taiwan

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 20, 1-12

Abstract: Without the Fluorinert solution and proper pad design, the high–voltage (HV) transistor used during the DC breakdown voltage (V bk ) measurement might be damaged by the partial discharge (PD) in the air if its V bk is close to one thousand volts or more. From the waveform measurement, the PD in the air occurred at 650 V HV GaN HEMTs during the V bk measurement, it is ignited by the unipolar arc, and it is not ignited by the avalanche breakdown. This is based on the fact that the current falls below zero ampere to become a negative current, and the voltage rises so that it is higher than the setting voltage of the DC meter at the onset of the PD, thus corresponding with the electrons, leaving the plasma to cathode, and enabling a build–in potential to exist in the plasma. Then, the PD ignites because the current starts to rise in order to allow for a positive spike current; the voltage level subsequently falls and a lower voltage reading is obtained.

Keywords: partial discharge; ARC; GaN HEMTs; buck converter (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: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/20/7608/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/20/7608/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:20:p:7608-:d:942971

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().