A team of researchers from the GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems Center (GRAPES) at the University of Arkansas has been awarded a $200,000 grant to analyze the modeling of gallium nitride (GaN) devices. The team will be headed by Distinguished Professor of electrical engineering and executive director of the center, Alan Mantooth.
The semiconductor gallium nitride contributes to faster switching and superior resolution in LiDAR (light distancing and ranging) systems, which use pulsed lasers to rapidly create three-dimensional images or maps. (Photo credit: Toby Minear, U.S. Geological Survey)
GRAPES researchers are involved in finding ways to speed up the manner in which power electronics are adopted and incorporated into the electric power grid. Costs can be minimized for consumers, and a significant decrease in dangerous carbon emissions is possible if these devices are upgraded.
GaN is a semiconductor material, which is hard and mechanically stable. Its features include thermal conductivity and high heat capacity. These features could enable the creation of devices capable of handling higher temperatures, voltages and switching frequencies than devices made of silicon, which is the current most popular material for power devices.
However, these new devices are not readily accepted as there are no high-quality models for circuit simulation available for innovators to assess and compare them with the well-established silicon technology. Since most circuit design and simulation is performed using computer programs, an absence of these models make it hard for circuit designers to precisely represent the way gallium nitride devices really function.
The funding will now assist the researchers in the creation of a compact model for gallium nitride power devices, and help to evaluate their feasibility. Circuit designers can then use these compact models to simulate the functioning and behavior of their designs, prior to dispatching them for manufacture.
Another key advantage of these models is that they can be used in power electronic applications where several natural-world situations can be tested in a safe manner. Additionally, it enables evaluation of statistical and error modes which would otherwise be difficult to perform.