Review of Electric Field Reduction Methods for Medium-Voltage Power Modules

Inhalt:
Growing interest in medium voltage (MV) wide bandgap (WBG) devices for renewable energy, dc microgrids, and elec-tric vehicles, has generated an increased need for high-density, MV packaging technology. The desire to create a high-density package for MV devices means the electric field strength within the module will be increased. If the electric field strength exceeds the electrical breakdown strength of the dielectric materials, then partial discharge (PD) can occur, po-tentially causing permanent damage to the package. Many of these failures occur at the insulating substrate, making it the focus of many studies which aim to improve the PD performance. Techniques for improving PD performance in power modules can be achieved through geometric modification and material modification. While there are other techniques, such as voltage grading, these techniques are less common within the power module. This work will provide an overview of the state-of-the-art geometric and material alteration techniques for mitigating partial discharge risks both inside the package.