High-Temperature Hardware: Development of a 10-kW High-Temperature, High-Power-Density Three-Phase ac-dc-ac SiC Converter

Abstract

This article presents the development and experimental performance of a 10-W, all-silicon carbide (SiC), 250 °C junction temperature, high-powerdensity, three-phase ac-dc-ac converter. The electromagnetic interference filter, thermal system, high-temperature package, and gate drive design are discussed in detail. Tests confirming the feasibility and validating the theoretical basis of the prototype converter system are described. Over the last 20 years, advances in industrial and research efforts in electronic power conversion have steadily been moving toward higher power densities, which has resulted in improvements in converter system performance; reductions in physical size; and reductions in mass, weight, and cost. However, this pushes the limits of the existing control, packaging, and thermal management technology for power converter systems.