Compact Three-Level GaN Power Module Suitable for Active-Neutral-Point-Clamped (ANPC) Three-Level Converter

This paper presents a compact three-level (3L) Gallium Nitride (GaN) power module with low parasitic parameters. The power loop, gate loop and PCB layout are designed and optimized carefully to achieve: 1) low parasitic parameters; 2) good thermal performance; 3) compact size and high integration; 4) easy utilization on building 3L ANPC converter. To achieve higher power rating, for two high-frequency (HF) switch legs, three GaN Systems’ GS665016T are paralleled and for the low-frequency pair, two switches are paralleled considering the much lower switching loss. The decoupling capacitors, driver circuits and auxiliary power supplies are all integrated into the module for the easy utilization and small parasitics. Double-pulse test (DPT) is applied to test the electrical characteristics and a bidirectional three-phase 3L ANPC converter is built using the proposed modules to verify the electrical performance and thermal performance.