Design Assessment of GaN FET-Based Inverter for Low-Voltage Braking System

This paper deals with a comprehensive design assessment of a Gallium Nitride (GaN)--based three-phase inverter for braking systems. The paper provides an overview of the GaN technology and a comparison with the Silicon MOSFET performances. Then, the GaN FET-based inverter is sized, taking into account the semiconductor losses (estimated from the datasheet and obtained from simulations). Furthermore, the cooling system is designed, and the steady state junction temperature of GaN FETs is obtained through thermal system simulations. Finally, the inverter input DC capacitor bank is sized, considering the chosen switching frequency and the root-mean-square current limits designed.