Dynamic Characterization of Wide Bandgap Devices for Power Electronic System Integration

Abstract

Wide Bandgap (WBG) devices offer significant performance advantages for next-generation power electronic systems. However, the dynamic stresses induced by application-specific conditions present limited physical and behavioral understanding, posing critical concerns for reliability and performance degradation. Therefore, this dissertation presents novel characterization methods, measurement techniques, and analytical frameworks to investigate dynamic switching stresses in WBG devices and the integration strategies to optimize power electronic system performance. The key state-of-the-art challenges and research gaps are identified related to dynamic stress effects throughout the system integration process of the WBG devices. An application-oriented converter stress characterization methodology is developed to evaluate the impact of dynamic operating stresses. Advanced measurement circuits and stress-induced performance evaluation techniques are designed to enable a deeper understanding of device behavior and facilitate maintenance or screening procedures. Lastly, multi-objective design optimization and lifetime performance evaluation of system-level WBG device integration are applied to demonstrate how dynamic stress insights can be leveraged to optimize overall system performance and develop novel operational lifetime prediction methodologies. This dissertation provides both a framework with a methodological and practical foundation for integrating WBG devices into high-performance, application-oriented power electronic systems by addressing key industry and research needs for improved characterization, measurement, reliability, and lifetime modeling.