Analysis and loss comparison of megahertz high voltage isolated DC/DC converters utilizing integrated SiC MOSFET module

Abstract

Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs are being increasingly utilized in medium and high power electronics converters (>1 kW) because of the significantly lower switching and conduction losses when compared with conventional power switches such as the Si IGBT. SiC MOSFET based converters operating at high frequency can achieve high efficiency and high power density at the same time. Minimum switching loss can be achieved in the SiC MOSFET with carefully designed gate driving condition and DC link layout, such as the integrated SiC MOSFET module discussed in this paper. Multi-megahertz switching frequency could be realized by the proposed SiC MOSFET module with proper soft switching topology. This paper analyzes three isolated DC/DC converters, namely the asymmetrical half bridge converter, phase shift full bridge converter, and LLC resonant converter. The loss model of the SiC MOSFET is developed and utilized in the analysis. Comparisons are carried out from the device loss and soft switching requirement point of view. The LLC resonant converter is deemed more suitable for multi-megahertz application. A 4.5 kW 1.2 MHz LLC resonant converter prototype is developed and it demonstrates a peak efficiency of 97% at 4 kW.