Investigation of the High Voltage GaN transistor module

Abstract

There are very few manufacturers of GaN transistors on the market with a terminal voltage greater than 650V. For example, if we wanted to use these types of transistors in an inverter system in which the DC link reaches a voltage of 800V, we would need a transistor with a minimum blocking capacity of 1000V (including a margin of 20%). Therefore, it is possible to use SiC transistors or GaN transistors connected in so called stacked configuration, thus doubling their blocking ability. If 650V transistors are being used, their blocking capability in stacked configuration would be 1300V. There are several advantages to use this configuration, but it also exhibits negatives related to issues described within proposed paper. The paper deals with the design of a high voltage stacked configuration GaN module, while it describes simulation analyses, practical PCB design and initial experimental tests.