Study of EMI Behavior of a 2-Level GaN-Inverter – Simulation and Measurement

Abstract:
Wide-bandgap semiconductors are more and more applied in power electronics converters, as these components feature lower parasitics and as a consequence, lower losses compared to their silicon counterparts. The advantage from the power electronics perspective mainly results from the higher du/dt and di/dt during switching operation and the lower on-state resistance. Unfortunately, faster switching transients may result in increased problems regarding the electromagnetic interference (EMI). This fact makes studies regarding the EMI inevitable for power electronic circuits applying e.g. GaN power semiconductors. One way is to study the EMI behavior of converters with a prototype at the workbench. As this method is very time consuming and costly, carrying out EMI simulations during the development phase of the converter is more efficient. Thus, this paper studies a 2-level GaN-inverter regarding conducted emissions. The frequency domain simulations, which are carried out for a simple DC/DC-converter as well as for an inverter with load are validated using measurements with a standardized test setup for conducted emission. The simulations match the results gained by measurement, which proves the validity of the simulation approach.