Appliance Motor Drive Performance Improvements Using 600V GaN Cascode FETs

Abstract:
High packaging density and energy efficiency are key goals for appliance motor drives like pumps and compressors for refrigeration and HVAC applications. This study compares the performance of Si FET, IGBT and GaN cascode-based 3-phase motor drive inverters powering PMAC motors at full load and light load, where compressors often spend most of their operating time. The comparison is based on devices that would fit within a given footprint area to achieve high density and the necessarily low power loss to meet thermal dissipation capability. The measured losses due to switching and conduction are analyzed and compared along with dv/dt and conducted EMI spectra.