A Highly Efficient GaN and SiC Hybrid Active Neutral Point Clamped (ANPC) Inverter for High-Speed Electric Traction Applications

In this paper, a hybrid Active Neutral Point Clamped (ANPC) inverter employing commercial off-theshelf (COTS) Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) devices is explored, intended for high-speed electric vehicle traction systems. The proposed solution, alongside a Hybrid PWM scheme elaborated in this study, demonstrates superior efficiency when compared to other device configurations discussed. A trade-off analysis centered on efficiency is performed, examining ANPC inverters with various device combinations, including Si IGBTs, SiC MOSFETs, and GaN HEMTs. The study focuses on an $800 \mathrm{~V}, 50 \mathrm{~kW}$ design example, utilizing a PLECS thermal model for simulation. A scaled-down prototype of the proposed ANPC inverter was developed and tested. Experimental results for a singlephase Hybrid ANPC inverter tested at $800 \mathrm{~V}, 3 \mathrm{~kW}$, and a fundamental frequency of 2 kHz are presented.