Design and Optimization of a SiC-Based Versatile Bidirectional High-Voltage Waveform Generator

Versatile waveform generators are required for multiple load characterization and excitation in a wide variety of industrial and biomedical applications. In the past, these generators have been typically limited in voltage/current/frequency due mainly to limitations of the power devices. However, advances in semiconductor technology have enabled the design of high-performance versatile waveform generators with improved operational ranges. In this paper, to overcome these limitations, a bidirectional multi-level structure is proposed to obtain a versatile waveform generator. To achieve this aim, this paper deals with the design, optimization and experimental validation of a SiC-based bidirectional 13-kVpp versatile large-signal high-frequency arbitrary waveform generator. Unlike previous proposals, the proposed architecture enables bidirectional conversion, being able to deal with reactive and active loads.