All GaN-on-Si high power module design and performance evaluation

Abstract

This paper presents a 270-V, 56-A GaN power module with three AlN substrates are prepared for the module. Each substrate is composed of three parallel connected GaN chips which incorporates six 2-A AlGaN/GaN-on-Si high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) cells. The substrate layout inside the module is designed to reduce package parasitic. The devices are wire-bonded in parallel connection to increase the power rating. The packaged GaN HEMTs exhibit the pulsed drain current of 0.435 A/mm. Both DC and pulsed current-voltage (ID-VDS) characteristics are measured for different connection and sizes of devices, at various of power densities, pulse lengths, and duty factors. The other static parameters like threshold voltage and leakage currents were extracted to show how these parameters would scale as the devices are paralleled. Performance of multiple chip GaN power module package is studied. Experimental results demonstrated the ability to parallel nine GaN HEMTs die together and to verify the current sharing during the dynamic switching to attain high-current capacities.