GOALI: 1.2 kV Vertical GaN FETs enabled Novel Ultra-High-Density Bidirectional Soft-switching Dc-Dc Charger Architecture with Scalable Electronic-embedded Transformer

GOALI：1.2 kV 垂直 GaN FET 启用具有可扩展电子嵌入式变压器的新型超高密度双向软开关 DC-DC 充电器架构

• 批准号: 2202620
• 负责人: Dong Dong
• 金额: $ 40万
• 依托单位: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-08-15 至 2025-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2202620&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: GOALI; 1.2; kV; Vertical; GaN

The electrification of land vehicles, including personal cars and transport/freight trucks, plays a critical role to accelerate the transformation of energy eco-system from fossil-fuel to zero-carbon-emission based renewable energies system. The high-efficient, high-density onboard battery charging system propels such electrification transformation. Inside the onboard charger, the galvanic isolation transformer represents one of the biggest and heaviest components, occupying about 50% of the total system size and weight. To increase the power density by an order of magnitude, the power transformer operation frequency has to reach MHz range meanwhile efficiently delivering tens of kW and even hundreds of kW power. This poses a huge challenge and many fundamental knowledge gaps need to be addressed, including high-efficient ultra-fast switching devices and ultra-high-frequency high power transformer. This NSF GOALI program proposes to investigate and develop a novel bi-directional high-power dc-dc onboard charger system with ultra-high-power density and scalability operating beyond MHz by adopting novel medium-voltage vertical GaN field-effect transistors (FETs) and proposed electronic-embedded transformer (EET) concepts. The team from Virginia Tech will carry out the proposed research tasks. The program will collaborate with researchers/technologists from two industry partners: Carrier Corporation and NexGen Power Systems.To enable the order-of-magnitude power density improvement in onboard battery charger, this proposal proposes four critical areas and scientific gaps: 1. Design and demonstrate 1.2 kV GaN-on-GaN vertical GaN field-effect transistor (FETs) based high-frequency power converters which operates over 1 MHz with over 800 V input. 2. Investigate a novel ultra-high-frequency “Electronic-embedded Transformer (EET)” concept for ease of transformer integration and paralleling operation for high power applications. 3. Investigate soft-switching (zero-voltage switching, and close to zero-current switching) circuit operation with auto-tuned operation point for high-efficiency operation over entire operation life. 4. Characterize MV vertical GaN FETs static and dynamic performance, establish device physics-based models, and create a comprehensive reliability assessment of vertical GaN FETs under repetitive short circuit and surge energy for automobile industry. The innovation circuit solutions and fundamental knowledge can be applied to a wide range of applications, like solid-state transformer; EV battery charger, commercial and utility energy storage system, PV string optimizer, etc. The device modeling and characterization, circuit operation, and reliability evaluation will offer the in-depth knowledge of understanding vertical GaN technology and its comparison with SiC MOSFET for both power semiconductor and power electronics industries.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

包括个人汽车和运输/货运卡车在内的陆地车辆的电气化对于加速能源生态系统从化石燃料向基于零碳排放的可再生能源系统的转变起着至关重要的作用。高效、高密度的车载电池充电系统推动了这种电气化转型。在车载充电器内部，电流隔离Transformer是最大和最重的组件之一，约占系统总尺寸和重量的50%。为了将功率密度提高一个数量级，功率Transformer的工作频率必须达到MHz范围，同时有效地提供数十kW甚至数百kW的功率。这带来了巨大的挑战，需要解决许多基础知识差距，包括高效超快速开关器件和超高频大功率Transformer。该NSF GOALI计划建议通过采用新型中压垂直GaN场效应晶体管（FET）和拟议的电子嵌入式Transformer（EET）概念，研究和开发一种具有超高功率密度和可扩展性的新型双向高功率DC-DC车载充电器系统。来自弗吉尼亚理工大学的研究小组将执行拟议的研究任务。该计划将与来自Carrier Corporation和NexGen Power Systems两个行业合作伙伴的研究人员/技术专家合作。为了实现车载电池充电器功率密度的数量级改善，该计划提出了四个关键领域和科学差距：1.设计并演示基于1.2 kV GaN on GaN垂直GaN场效应晶体管（FET）的高频功率转换器，其工作频率超过1 MHz，输入电压超过800 V。2.研究一种新的超高频“电子嵌入式Transformer（EET）”概念，以简化Transformer集成和大功率应用的并联操作。3.研究软开关（零电压开关和接近零电流开关）电路操作，具有自动调谐操作点，可在整个操作寿命内实现高效操作。4.表征中压垂直GaN FET的静态和动态性能，建立基于器件物理的模型，并为汽车行业创建垂直GaN FET在重复短路和浪涌能量下的全面可靠性评估。创新的电路解决方案和基础知识可以应用于广泛的应用，如固态Transformer; EV电池充电器、商业和公用事业储能系统、PV串优化器等。可靠性评估将提供深入了解垂直GaN技术及其与功率半导体和功率电子行业SiC MOSFET的比较。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Dynamic RON Free 1.2-kV Vertical GaN JFET

• DOI: 10.1109/ted.2023.3338140
• 发表时间: 2024-01
• 期刊: IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices
• 影响因子: 3.1
• 作者: Xin Yang;Ruizhe Zhang;Bixuan Wang;Q. Song;Andy Walker;S. Pidaparthi;Cliff Drowley;Yuhao Zhang-Yuhao

A Scalable Electronic-Embedded Transformer, a New Concept Toward Ultra-High-Frequency High-Power Transformer in DC–DC Converters

可扩展的电子嵌入式变压器，直流-直流转换器中超高频大功率变压器的新概念

• DOI: 10.1109/tpel.2023.3279259
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics
• 影响因子: 6.7
• 作者: Cao, Yuliang;Ngo, Khai;Dong, Dong
• 通讯作者: Dong, Dong

Power device breakdown mechanism and characterization: review and perspective

功率器件击穿机制和表征：回顾与展望

• DOI: 10.35848/1347-4065/acb365
• 发表时间: 2023
• 期刊: Japanese Journal of Applied Physics
• 影响因子: 1.5
• 作者: Zhang, Ruizhe;Zhang, Yuhao
• 通讯作者: Zhang, Yuhao