Page 50 - PEN eBook July 2023

Design

Figure 8 illustrates a typical EV power
system, with red ovals indicating
potential uses for B-TRAN.

B-TRAN can also be used in multiple
other places, such as motor drives,
UPS systems for data centers,
elevators, EV chargers, renewable-
energy applications like solar and
wind, and power conversion for
smart grids.

Figure 8: Application in the EV power system “We’ve seen a lot of interest from

different industries and different
companies who want to use our technology for various applications,” Brdar said. “One of the big things
we want to do is really make sure that the product is accessible to as many applications as possible.”

B-TRAN introduces a new power-semiconductor topology that is simple yet innovative. It combines
the benefits of MOSFETs’ fast, low-loss switching; IGBTs’ high-current density; and BJTs’ low

forward-voltage drop. “We ended up replacing a set of four devices with one, and it has about
half the losses of conventional approach and about a quarter of losses if you think about it in a
bidirectional situation,” Brdar said.

Moreover, B-TRAN’s unique bidirectionality enables its use in AC-link converter topologies, offering
significant advantages in terms of efficiency and system economics for a broad range of power-
converter applications, including PV inverters, wind converters, variable-frequency motor drives
and electrified vehicle traction drives.

B-TRAN exhibits symmetrical bidirectional performance, providing a breakdown voltage exceeding
1,200 V and an on-state voltage drop of 0.6 V at high currents of up to 30 A. Compared with
existing power-semiconductor devices for bidirectional applications, B-TRAN has considerably
lower conduction and switching losses. A specialized TO-264 package with double-sided cooling
capability has been developed for B-TRAN, and a bidirectional driver has been optimized to switch
and control current conduction in both directions.

“What we’re using is double-sided cooling since it is a double-sided device,” Brdar said. “And since
you generate more efficiently, you are actually generating less heat to begin with, and as you know,
heat is the killer for electronics. So if you’re generating less heat to begin with and you’re using
double-sided cooling, which provides very uniform cooling, you can end up with a device that can
run very efficiently and cool.”

JULY 2023 | www.powerelectronicsnews.com