Miniature high voltage, high temperature component package development

With the next generation of semiconductor materials in development, significant strides in the Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) characteristics of power conversion systems are presently underway. In particular, much of the improvements in system-level efficiencies and power densities due to wide-bandgap (WBG) and ultra-wide-bandgap (UWBG) device incorporation are realized through higher voltage, higher frequency, and higher temperature operation. Concomitantly, there is a demand for ever smaller device footprints with high voltage, high power handling ability while maintaining ultra-low inductive/capacitive parasitics for high frequency operation. For our work, we are developing small size vertical gallium nitride (GaN) and aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN) power diodes and transistors with breakdown and hold-off voltages as high as 15kV. The small size and high power densities of these devices create stringent requirements on both the size (balanced between larger sizing for increased voltage hold-off with smaller sizing for reduced parasitics) and heat dissipation capabilities of the associated packaging. To accommodate these requirements and to be able to characterize these novel device designs, we have developed specialized packages as well as test hardware and capabilities. This work describes the requirements of these new devices, the development of the high voltage, high power packages, and the high-voltage, high-temperature test capabilities needed to characterize and use the completed components. In the course of this work, we have settled on a multi-step methodology for assessing the performance of these new power devices, which we also present.