GaN Power Devices for Efficient Power Conversion

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

About the Author :
Alex Lidow is the CEO and Co-founder of Efficient Power Conversion. Michael de Rooij is Vice President of Applications Engineering at Efficient Power Conversion. John Glaser is Director of Applications at Efficient Power Conversion. Alejandro Pozo is a Senior Applications Engineer at Efficient Power Conversion. Shengke Zhang is Vice President of Product Reliability at Efficient Power Conversion. Marco Palma is a Senior FAE Manager based in Europe. David Reusch is a Systems Engineer, Kilby Labs, Texas Instruments, USA. Johan Strydom is Advanced Development Manager, Kilby Labs, Texas Instruments, USA.