Evaluation of turn-off dV/dt controllability and switching characteristics of 1.2 kV GaN polarisation superjunction heterostructure field-effect transistors

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REGULAR PAPER • THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE ISOPEN ACCESS Evaluation of turn-off dV/dt controllability and switching characteristics of 1.2 kV GaN polarisation superjunction heterostructure field-effect transistors Alireza Sheikhan1, Sankara Narayanan Ekkanath Madathil1, Hiroji Kawai2, Shuichi Yagi2 and Hironobu Narui2

Published 5 July 2023 • © 2023 The Author(s). Published on behalf of The Japan Society of Applied Physics by IOP Publishing Ltd Japanese Journal of Applied Physics, Volume 62, Number 6 Citation Alireza Sheikhan et al 2023 Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 62 064502 DOI 10.35848/1347-4065/acd975 DownloadArticle PDF Figures References Download PDF 290 Total downloads Turn on MathJax Share this article

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Author affiliations 1 Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, The University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom

2 Powdec K.K. Oyama, Tochigi, Japan

ORCID iDs Alireza Sheikhan https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2207-1593

Dates Received 16 April 2023 Revised 18 May 2023 Accepted 26 May 2023 Published 5 July 2023 Check for updates using Crossmark

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Journal RSS Sign up for new issue notifications Create citation alert Abstract Gallium nitride (GaN) devices inherently offer many advantages over silicon power devices, including a higher operating frequency, lower on-state resistance and higher operating temperature capabilities, which can enable higher power density and more efficient power electronics. Turn-off dV/dt controllability plays a key role in determining common-mode voltage in electrical drives and traction inverter applications. The fast-switching edges of GaN can introduce challenges such as electromagnetic interference, premature insulation failure and high overshoot voltages. In this paper, the device working principle, characteristics and dV/dt controllability of 1.2 kV GaN polarisation superjunction (PSJ) heterostructure FETs (HFETs) are presented. The effect of gate driving parameters and load conditions on turn-off dV/dt are investigated. It is shown that in PSJ HFETs the dV/dt can be effectively controlled to as low as 1 kV μs−1 by controlling the gate, with a minimum increase in switching losses. These results are highly encouraging for the application of the devices in motor drives.