FPGA implementation for rapid prototyping of high performance voltage source inverters

Field-programmable gate array (FPGA) is a powerful platform that can play an essential role in high-performance digital control of power electronics systems. However, the FPGA system's design is quite different from that of a traditional microprocessor or a digital signal processor (DSP). Instead of sequential programming using high-level languages, such as C/C++, FPGA controller implementation requires a hardware description language (HDL) such as Verilog and VHDL, which requires extensive verification and optimization during the design process. This paper proposes a systematic FPGA design methodology with optimum resource utilization for rapid prototyping of high-performance power electronics applications to facilitate the widespread adoption of FPGA technology in power electronics. The FPGA controller design is concurrent with the power stage and utilizes high-level synthesis (HLS) tools and Simulink code generation toolbox. This paper covers the detailed design, implementation, and experimental validation of two specific applications, i.e., an active power filter (APF) and a motor emulator (ME), demonstrating the generalized features of the methodology. Employing fundamentally different control structures, both application examples achieve ultra-high current control bandwidth leveraging SiC MOSFETs switching at no less than 100 kHz.