Modeling of low inductive busbar connections

Abstract

The high power levels required by many power electronic applications well as the very low switching times encountered in new semiconductor devices have created a need for low wiring inductances. The busbar technology is an effective industrial way to reduce the interconnection inductance between (for instance) the feeding source and the converter. It consists of a stacking of several copper sheets, each separated from the other by a dielectric. The connections between these sheets and the different devices are made with screws. The authors present a way of modeling a busbar. Using a simulation tool, InCa, dedicated to inductance and resistance calculations, it is possible to obtain the L, R equivalent circuit of a busbar. Moreover, it allows the determination of the current density in any cross section of any busbar sheet. In order to validate the modeling, a chopper structure using this kind of connection has been realized and measurements have been made.