Wide Bandgap Power Semiconductor Devices for Next Generation Smart Power Electronics

用于下一代智能电力电子的宽带隙功率半导体器件

• 批准号: RGPIN-2019-04462
• 负责人: Ng, WaiTung
• 金额: $ 3.35万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2022-01-01 至 2023-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=751634
• 关键词: Wide; Bandgap; Power; Semiconductor; Devices

This project combines High Voltage Very Large Scale Integration (HV VLSI) technology with wide-bandgap (WBG) power semiconductor devices to advance the next generation smart power electronics for renewable energy, smart grids, smart homes, electric and hybrid electric vehicles (EV/HEVs), telecommunication and other emerging industrial applications. Silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) are promising WBG semiconductor materials that have unique advantages in terms of low on-resistance, high breakdown voltage, high switching speed and high temperature operation. They can provide significant saving in cooling requirements and allow power converters to have high efficiency and smaller form factor. According to marketing firm Yole Développement, the global demand for WBG power semiconductors has an explosive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20-30%, with an estimated market size of US$1.32 billion by 2022. We propose to investigate selected topics on the design, fabrication, and utilization of WBG power devices for next generation power electronics. This exploratory work will allow us to solicit more focused future industrial projects. The proposed topics include the design and fabrication of novel vertical GaN power devices, and the development of smart gate driver ICs for WBG power transistors. Most current commercial GaN power transistors are lateral devices. They have limited reliability, power handling and dissipation. The rapid reduction in cost and wider availability of bulk-GaN wafers have opened up the opportunity to explore vertical GaN power devices. These vertical structures, including GaN Schottky barrier diodes, GaN JFETs and MOSFETs, can provide much better current handling and thermal performance. Their avalanche breakdown capability will also improve the reliability. We will also develop HV-CMOS based smart gate driver ICs with embedded microprocessor for silicon, GaN and SiC power transistors. These intelligent features such as dynamically programmable gate driving strength, precise timing control for parallel operation, dead-time correction and EMI suppression will allow the performance of WBG power devices to be fully exploited. The combination of high performance WBG power devices with customized gate driver ICs will bring smart power electronics technology on to the next level. This project will also support our activities at the University of Toronto EV Research Centre (UTEV). Finally, this project will provide unique multi-disciplinary training from device fabrication, integrated circuit design to packaging for at least four graduate students each year. This experience will allow them to contribute immediately to Canada's power electronic workforce.

该项目将高压超大规模集成（HV VLSI）技术与宽带隙（WBG）功率半导体器件相结合，以推进下一代智能电力电子技术，用于可再生能源、智能电网、智能家居、电动汽车和混合动力汽车（EV/HEV）、电信和其他新兴工业应用。碳化硅（SiC）和氮化镓（GaN）是很有前途的WBG半导体材料，它们在低导通电阻、高击穿电压、高开关速度和高温操作方面具有独特的优势。它们可以显著降低冷却要求，并使功率转换器具有高效率和更小的外形尺寸。根据营销公司Yole Décampement的数据，全球对WBG功率半导体的需求具有20- 30%的爆炸性复合年增长率（CAGR），预计到2022年市场规模将达到13.2亿美元。 我们建议调查选定的主题的设计，制造和利用的WBG功率器件的下一代电力电子。这一探索性工作将使我们能够寻求更有针对性的未来工业项目。建议的主题包括新型垂直GaN功率器件的设计和制造，以及用于WBG功率晶体管的智能栅极驱动器IC的开发。目前大多数商用GaN功率晶体管都是横向器件。它们具有有限的可靠性、功率处理和耗散。成本的快速降低和体GaN晶片的更广泛可用性为探索垂直GaN功率器件提供了机会。这些垂直结构，包括GaN肖特基势垒二极管、GaN JFET和MOSFET，可以提供更好的电流处理和热性能。它们的雪崩击穿能力也将提高可靠性。我们还将开发基于HV-CMOS的智能栅极驱动器IC，其中嵌入式微处理器用于硅、GaN和SiC功率晶体管。这些智能功能，如动态可编程栅极驱动强度，精确的定时控制并行操作，死区时间校正和EMI抑制将使WBG功率器件的性能得到充分利用。高性能WBG功率器件与定制栅极驱动器IC的结合将把智能电力电子技术推向一个新的水平。该项目还将支持我们在多伦多大学电动汽车研究中心（UTEV）的活动。最后，这个项目将提供独特的多学科培训，从器件制造，集成电路设计到封装，每年至少有四名研究生。这些经验将使他们能够立即为加拿大的电力电子劳动力做出贡献。