Speaker
Dr
Lee Rashkin
(Sandia National Laboratories)
Description
With the next generation of semiconductor materials in development, significant strides in the Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) characteristics of power conversion systems are presently underway. In particular, much of the improvement in Wide-Bandgap (WBG) and Ultra-Wide-Bandgap (UWBG) device efficiencies and power densities are realized through higher voltage, higher frequency, and higher temperature operation. Concomitantly, there is a demand for ever smaller device footprints with high power handling ability while maintaining ultra-low inductive/capacitive parasitics for high frequency operation. For our work, we are developing compact Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Aluminum Gallium Nitride (AlGaN) power diodes and transistors with hold-off voltages as high as 15 kV. The small size and high power densities of these devices create stringent requirements on both the size and heat dissipation capabilities of the associated packaging; e.g. die area must be balanced between larger sizing for increased current-carrying capability and smaller sizing for reduced parasitics and faster switching. To accommodate these requirements and to be able to characterize these novel device designs, we have developed specialized packages as well as test hardware and capabilities. This work describes the packaging requirements of these new devices, the development of the high voltage and high power packages, and the test capabilities needed to characterize and use the completed components. In the course of this work, we have settled on a multi-step methodology for assessing the performance of these new power devices, which we will also present. Also, specialized high voltage test facilities, constructed from commercially available laboratory equipment, were developed to support this work, and will be described in detail.
Authors
Dr
Lee Rashkin
(Sandia National Laboratories)
Dr
Robert Brocato
(Sandia Nation Laboratories)
Co-authors
Dr
Jack Flicker
(Sandia National Laboratories)
Dr
Jason Neely
(Sandia National Laboratories)
Dr
Lu Fang
(Sandia National Laboratories)
Dr
Robert Kaplar
(Sandia National Laboratories)
