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Title: Characterization and Failure Analysis of 650-V Enhancement-Mode GaN HEMT for Cryogenically Cooled Power Electronics

Abstract

In order to evaluate the feasibility of newly developed gallium nitride (GaN) devices in a cryogenically cooled converter, this article characterizes a 650-V enhancement-mode GaN high-electron mobility transistor (GaN HEMT) at cryogenic temperatures. The characterization includes both static and dynamic behaviors. The results show that this GaN HEMT is an excellent device candidate to be applied in cryogenic-cooled applications. For example, transconductance at cryogenic temperature (93 K) is 2.5 times higher than one at room temperature (298 K), and accordingly, peak di / dt during turn-on transients at cryogenic temperature is around 2 times of that at room temperature. Moreover, the ON-resistance of the channel at the cryogenic temperature is only one-fifth of that at room temperature. The corresponding explanations of performance trends at cryogenic temperatures are also given from the view of semiconductor physics. In addition, several device failures were observed during the dynamic characterization of GaN HEMTs at cryogenic temperatures. Additionally, the ultrafast switching speed-induced high di / dt and dv / dt at cryogenic temperatures amplify the negative effects of parasitics inside the switching loop. Based on failure waveforms, two failure modes were classified, and detailed failure mechanisms caused by ultrafast switching speed are given in thismore » article.« less

Authors:
ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [2]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [3]; ORCiD logo [3]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [4]
  1. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)
  2. Clemson Univ. Restoration Inst., North Charleston, SC (United States)
  3. Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  4. NASA Glenn Research Center, Cleveland, OH (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE; National Science Foundation (NSF)
OSTI Identifier:
1761696
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725; EEC-1041877
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 8; Journal Issue: 1; Journal ID: ISSN 2168-6777
Publisher:
IEEE
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
42 ENGINEERING; Cryogenically cooled power electronics; gallium nitride high-electron mobility transistors (GaN HEMTs); failure analysis; static and dynamic characterizations; ultrafast switching speed

Citation Formats

Ren, Ren, Gui, Handong, Zhang, Zheyu, Chen, Ruirui, Niu, Jiahao, Wang, Fei, Tolbert, Leon M., Costinett, Daniel, Blalock, Benjamin J., and Choi, Benjamin B. Characterization and Failure Analysis of 650-V Enhancement-Mode GaN HEMT for Cryogenically Cooled Power Electronics. United States: N. p., 2019. Web. doi:10.1109/jestpe.2019.2949953.
Ren, Ren, Gui, Handong, Zhang, Zheyu, Chen, Ruirui, Niu, Jiahao, Wang, Fei, Tolbert, Leon M., Costinett, Daniel, Blalock, Benjamin J., & Choi, Benjamin B. Characterization and Failure Analysis of 650-V Enhancement-Mode GaN HEMT for Cryogenically Cooled Power Electronics. United States. https://doi.org/10.1109/jestpe.2019.2949953
Ren, Ren, Gui, Handong, Zhang, Zheyu, Chen, Ruirui, Niu, Jiahao, Wang, Fei, Tolbert, Leon M., Costinett, Daniel, Blalock, Benjamin J., and Choi, Benjamin B. Mon . "Characterization and Failure Analysis of 650-V Enhancement-Mode GaN HEMT for Cryogenically Cooled Power Electronics". United States. https://doi.org/10.1109/jestpe.2019.2949953. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1761696.
@article{osti_1761696,
title = {Characterization and Failure Analysis of 650-V Enhancement-Mode GaN HEMT for Cryogenically Cooled Power Electronics},
author = {Ren, Ren and Gui, Handong and Zhang, Zheyu and Chen, Ruirui and Niu, Jiahao and Wang, Fei and Tolbert, Leon M. and Costinett, Daniel and Blalock, Benjamin J. and Choi, Benjamin B.},
abstractNote = {In order to evaluate the feasibility of newly developed gallium nitride (GaN) devices in a cryogenically cooled converter, this article characterizes a 650-V enhancement-mode GaN high-electron mobility transistor (GaN HEMT) at cryogenic temperatures. The characterization includes both static and dynamic behaviors. The results show that this GaN HEMT is an excellent device candidate to be applied in cryogenic-cooled applications. For example, transconductance at cryogenic temperature (93 K) is 2.5 times higher than one at room temperature (298 K), and accordingly, peak di / dt during turn-on transients at cryogenic temperature is around 2 times of that at room temperature. Moreover, the ON-resistance of the channel at the cryogenic temperature is only one-fifth of that at room temperature. The corresponding explanations of performance trends at cryogenic temperatures are also given from the view of semiconductor physics. In addition, several device failures were observed during the dynamic characterization of GaN HEMTs at cryogenic temperatures. Additionally, the ultrafast switching speed-induced high di / dt and dv / dt at cryogenic temperatures amplify the negative effects of parasitics inside the switching loop. Based on failure waveforms, two failure modes were classified, and detailed failure mechanisms caused by ultrafast switching speed are given in this article.},
doi = {10.1109/jestpe.2019.2949953},
journal = {IEEE Journal of Emerging and Selected Topics in Power Electronics},
number = 1,
volume = 8,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Oct 28 00:00:00 EDT 2019},
month = {Mon Oct 28 00:00:00 EDT 2019}
}