Efficiency Comparison of Power Converters Based on SiC and GaN Semiconductors at High Switching Frequencies

Hard-switching voltage source converters (VSC) based on wide-bandgap (WBG) devices surpass their silicon equivalents in every aspect. Nevertheless, at high switching frequencies, the efficiency significantly differs depending on the WBG semiconductor used. This article presents an extensive comparison between gallium nitride (GaN), and silicon carbide (SiC) devices in terms of efficiency. The impact of the switching frequency is evaluated for each semiconductor using two modulation techniques: the classical space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) technique, and the innovative hexagonal sigma-delta modulation (H-∑Δ). The performance and losses of both WBG technologies are analysed here using Matlab/Simulink and PLECS. Experimental results performed on two VSC converters, one based on SiC devices and the other made using GaN transistors, show the influence of the semiconductor technology and the modulation strategy on the efficiency at high switching frequencies.