Date of Award

2021

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Organizational Unit

Daniel Felix Ritchie School of Engineering and Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering

First Advisor

Mohammad Abdul Matin

Second Advisor

Yun-Bo Yi

Third Advisor

Haluk Ogmen

Fourth Advisor

Rui Fan

Keywords

Semiconductor, Power device, Power conversion

Abstract

Semiconductor power devices are the most momentous constituents of any power converter system. Fast switching, compactness, high performance and efficiency, and high temperature operation are the exacting challenges experienced by conventional silicon (Si) power device based power converters in many applications. In this dissertation, the wide bandgap (WBG) power devices are studied and used to transcend the limitations imposed by the Si power devices. It mainly focuses on characterization and analysis of the behavior of WBG power devices as well as design and development of efficient, high performance, and reliable dc–dc power converters based on WBG technology. First, using computer simulations, a comprehensive and detailed study is conducted toward attaining a non–isolated dc–dc buck converter with high performance and efficiency for industrial applications. Converter level power device characterization and overall converter efficiency evaluation are performed and discussed. Furthermore, for high step–up applications such as the integration of low voltage renewable energy sources with a load or utility, highly efficient dc–dc SEPIC and ZETA converters are designed and proposed. Different power device combinations are tested in the structure of these converters in order to quantify the potential of each power device in overall converter performance enhancement.

In addition, laboratory experiments are set up and thorough characterization study and evaluation are carried out experimentally of the behaviors of three 1200 V level power devices using the same setup. It is aimed to extract the key characteristics of each power device toward quantifying their potentials in applications of power converters. The impacts of the turn–on and turn–off gate resistances on each power device’s switching performance, switching energy losses, and switching speed capabilities are determined and discussed. The optimal driving condition is addressed for each power device. Also, the correlations between the switching energy losses and the power device’s blocking voltage and current are analyzed and reported. Moreover, the power devices are experimentally explored and assessed in a non–isolated dc–dc buck converter. The operation, thermal condition, and efficiency of the converter with each power device are studied and reported. The results and analyses provide deep insights, guidelines, and prospects for the design and development of advanced power conversion systems.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Ali Mahmoud Salman Al-Bayati

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

164 pgs

Discipline

Electrical engineering

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