While this webinar was originally held on April 25th, 2024, we understand that schedules can be demanding. That’s why we’ve made our webinar content available on demand with the ability to ask any questions you might have while watching.

This webinar explains how to achieve high efficiency in energy conversion of AC and DC current utilizing GaN FETs. These devices offer lower losses, higher switching speeds, and smaller sizes than conventional silicon-based FETs. The presentation will also demonstrate the benefits of using isolated GaN FET drivers and how this system can improve the performance, efficiency, and reliability of clean energy systems.

Click here to register for access to this webinar and all other 2024 EE Training Days webinar content. If there is a topic missing that you would like to see covered in the future, please contact Aimee Kalnoskas at akalnoskas@wtwhmedia.com.

The post EE Training Day: highly efficient power conversion in clean energy applications appeared first on Power Electronic Tips.

Demand for highly efficient power systems is increasing as building blocks for carbon neutrality. To address this trend, an industry-wide transition toward wide bandgap materials, represented by silicon carbide and GaN, is also being seen. These advanced materials allow a broader range of voltage and switching frequency than conventional silicon-based devices. To build on this momentum, Renesas has announced the establishment of an in-house SiC production line, supported by a 10-year SiC wafer supply agreement.

Renesas now aims to further expand its WBG portfolio with Transphorm’s expertise in GaN, an emerging material that enables higher switching frequency, lower power losses, and smaller form factors. These benefits empower customers’ systems with greater efficiency, smaller and lighter composition, and lower overall cost. As such, demand for GaN is predicted to grow by more than 50 percent annually, according to an industry study. Renesas will implement Transphorm’s auto-qualified GaN technology to develop new enhanced power solution offerings, such as X-in-1 powertrain solutions for EVs, along with computing, energy, industrial and consumer applications.

i

The post Renesas subsidiary acquires GaN technology company,Transphorm appeared first on Power Electronic Tips.

Industrial operations benefit from using high-efficiency motor drives. Galvanically isolated coreless transformers (CT), also called coupled inductor-based gate drivers, are key components enabling high reliability and high-efficiency motor drives. The CT isolation is fabricated on-chip and consists of metal spirals with SiO2 insulation (Figure 1). The resulting driver supports an input-to-output offset voltage of 2.3 kV, input-to-output propagation delay of 100 ns with a part-to-part variation of ±7 ns, and features a CMTI of 200 kV/µs. This device is also suited for use in solar inverters.

Solar energy harvesting installations use 1.5 kV power buses to reduce cable cross-section, weight, and cost while delivering high power. That requires that the power switches in the inverter are rated for at least 1.7 kV, with many designs using 2 kV switches for additional reliability. Solar inverters employ a closed-loop architecture where a digital controller modulates the power switch duty cycles to force the inverter output voltage amplitude and phase to match the grid. The use of integrated galvanically isolated drivers eliminates the need for external isolation components and simplifies system design. Each driver output is isolated, enabling a mix of positive and negative voltage rails to be used without latch-up concerns.

In these designs, feedback to the inverter controller is provided by CMOS-isolated AC current sensors. Depending on the package, these sensors can have up to 5 kVrms isolation. As a result of their monolithic CMOS construction, these current sensors deliver higher accuracy and reliability over a wider temperature range compared to discrete current sense transformers. In addition, the sensor is reset on a cycle-by-cycle basis using the inverter gate control signals eliminating the need for a separate reset circuit.

Digital interfaces & ΣΔ
In motor control applications, optical encoder feedback and resolve-to-digital conversion are often used in the feedback control system. More recently, digital isolators and galvanically isolated analog-to-digital sigma-delta (ΣΔ) modulators have appeared. These devices feature a 3.75 kV standoff voltage and high pulse precision. That enables high-performance motor systems that meet the latest efficiency standards and provide the control needed to minimize the harmonic content on the output of solar inverters.

In EV DC charging stations, ΣΔ modulators are used to sense the input and output currents and voltages of the power factor controller (PFC) in the AC input stage and the DC/DC output stage connected to the battery pack. That requires a high accuracy ΣΔ modulator. Galvanic isolation can be used to eliminate stray currents that can cause data errors across the barrier. It also provides high levels of CMTI. The integrated solution has 6 kV SiO2 isolation technology and dual channels that can transfer data between an HV and LV domain at up to 100 Mbps with a pulse distortion below 3 ns (Figure 2).

Summary
Digitally isolated gate drivers are increasingly important in a range of green energy applications, from industrial motor drives to solar inverters and EV chargers. In addition, isolated AC current sensors and isolated ΣΔ modulators can contribute to improved performance and higher reliability.

References
Advanced Digital Isolation Technologies Boost Solar Power Inverter Reliability, Skyworks
Advantages of coreless-transformer gate drivers over gate drive optocouplers, Infineon
Galvanically isolated products for DC EV charging stations, STMicroelectronics
Isolated Gate Drivers, Analog Devices

The post How does digital isolation contribute to sustainability? appeared first on Power Electronic Tips.