Development of GaN - bases three-phase Grid- Tie Inverter

Wide band gap (WBG) semiconductor devices have been widely concerned due to their superior performance over conventional Si power devices. They are expected to improve the power converters' efficiency and density. The main objective of this paper is to present the design of a three-phase Ga-based inverter with a particular focus on the feasibility of GaN applications in PV inverters, reliability, and efficiency. PCB boards are designed and tested for the control and power circuits, and the advantage of fibre optic connection for the PWM transmission is highlighted. The methodology covers the main steps of PV inverter design and design considerations. The key parameters and experimental results are presented. The power density is 60 W/inch3, and the peak efficiency is 96% at 5kWload.