Switching Loss Measurement – A Thermal Approach Applied to GaN-Half-Bridge Configuration

Modern SiC and GaN devices feature superior switching behavior compared to conventional device technologies. Thus, high switching frequencies become more attractive, but for that, reliable data for switching losses are vital. Nevertheless, the switching losses of the devices are quite difficult to obtain by electrical measurements due to the high voltage and current slew rates. As a result, conventional double pulse tests cannot be beneficially applied. Consequently, this paper presents another approach using thermal measurements to gain data concerning switching losses for GaN-HEMTs. Besides a test setup description, first results are provided as well to show the applicability. Furthermore, the paper delivers the limits and possible pitfalls during measurement.