Design and Development of a Low Cost, Manufacturable High Voltage Power Module for Energy Storage Systems

Arkansas Power Electronics International, Inc. will design and develop a high performance, high voltage ( & gt; 15 kV) SiC MCPM that is low cost, manufacturable, reliable and reworkable. The target utility scale energy storage applications include power conversion systems for grid-tie, solar array, wind turbine, and vehicle-to-grid to aid in load leveling, frequency control, voltage fluctuations in order to improve the overall power quality and reliability. Presently, most power conversion systems are based on Si IGBTs. However, due to the unique capabilities of SiC and advancement of power converter packaging, this work has the potential to aid in the emergence of smarter, seamless powered grids with less of a dependence on inefficient peak power plants. Phase I work included i.) designing and building a HV discrete demonstrator capable of housing 15 kV SiC devices, ii.) demonstrating a 3 reduction in parasitic inductance in the power loop, iii.) designing 15 kV SiC half-bridge MCPM exhibiting a low junction to case thermal resistance of 0.045 C/W with an extremely low profile of 14 mm (0.57 in) in a standard footprint, iv.) performing a system analysis that highlights a 70 reduction in mass and a 34 reduction in volume, and v.) developing target specifications based on customer needs and existing HV power die. In Phase II, a HV SiC MCPM will be developed such that the assembly process can be easily transferred to manufacturing facilities. The thermal characteristics of the MCPM will be measured to verify the low junction-to-case thermal resistance of the package. Additionally, static and dynamic electrical testing of the MCPM will be performed over temperature to characterize and validate the high temperature packaging design and materials as well as low parasitic impedance packaging scheme. Reliability testing of key MCPM subcomponents such as the power substrate to baseplate attach will be performed to evaluate the materials and developed assembly process. Beyond Phase II, APEI, Inc. will focus on manufacturing process yield optimization, reliability and qualification testing, and marketing of the HV SiC MCPM.