Methodology for EMC Analysis in a GaN Based Power Module

Thanks to the material’s physical properties and the advancement in the engineering and manufacturing, power semiconductor devices based on Gallium Nitride (GaN) are promising candidates for high frequency, high efficiency and thus high power density power module design. However, GaN devices’ fast switching results in high slew rate in switching voltage (dV/dt) and current (dI/dt), combined with parasitic inductive (L) and capacitive (C) elements within the power module, gives rise to electromagnetic interference (EMI) noise in a wide frequency range. This dissertation is focused on the influence on EMI performance of the GaN based power module design and the optimization approaches.In order to study the aforementioned issues, an entire power module including the GaN power devices and the module’s packaging are to be characterized and modeled so that the EMI performances can be reconstructed by simulation with these models. The modeling methods of a commercial enhancement-mode (e-mode) GaN High-Electron-Mobility-Transistor (HEMT) and a lab-designed power module are discussed respectively in chapter I and II,• The device modeling involves the static part and the dynamic part, where the former is modeled to represent the forward I-V characteristics and the reverse diode-like conducting ones and the latter is modeled to represent the nonlinearly voltage dependent intrinsic capacitances between each pair of terminals. The modeling method is based on the characteristics extracted from datasheet and can be scaled to all e-mode GaN HEMT.• The packaging modeling involves mainly the extraction of the stray capacitances between the module and the heatsink and the parasitic inductances between the DC link capacitor and the power devices. The extractions are processed by both numerical calculation with software ANSYS Q3D and impedance measurement with a vector network analyzer E5061B. The results from these two approaches match well from one to the other.Once the full model of the GaN based power module is built, it is validated with experimental switching test where the simulated switching waveforms and the EMI noises are compared with the measured ones respectively in chapter III and IV. The test bench apart from the GaN power module is modeled to complete the full simulation model. The measurement precautions are presented as well.• The switching waveforms are obtained in double pulse and permanent switching tests and are compared to the simulated ones where they are correctly matched. The minimization of the switching voltage’s overshoot by using between DC+ and DC- the in-module capacitors CX is analyzed and finally the capacitor CX’s value is recommended in different situations.• The EMI noises are measured in terms of common mode (CM) and differential mode (DM) currents in the Line-Impedance-Stabilized-Network (LISN) and are compared with the simulated ones where they are correctly matched from 100 kHz up to 30MHz. The CM noise propagation paths from the power module and from the resistor-inductor load are analyzed. The effects of the in-module capacitors CX and the CM filter ones CY are studied. Finally the distribution of filter capacitors in different locations is studied by simulation.