Title :
Cryogenic MOSFET power conversion
Author_Institution :
General Electric Corp. Res. & Dev., Schenectady, NY, USA
Abstract :
Possible applications of low-temperature electronics in the field of cryogenic power conversion are examined. Full-bridge amplifiers were built and tested at liquid-nitrogen temperature. Transistor conduction and switching losses are analyzed and compared for 300 K and 77 K. The effect of low-temperature operation on overall power conversion efficiency is explored. It is concluded that commercially available MOSFETs in plastic or metal packages work very well if immersed in a bath of liquid nitrogen despite the fact that they were not designed for such a cold application. They can be operated at much higher current levels, and high-efficiency switchmode circuits can be designed. Heatsinks other than the liquid nitrogen are not required. This permits the design of extremely small, lightweight, and low-cost power conversion circuits
Keywords :
insulated gate field effect transistors; low-temperature techniques; power conversion; power transistors; semiconductor device testing; 300 K; 77 K; MOSFETs; conversion efficiency; cryogenic power conversion; full-bridge amplifiers; high current level operation; high-efficiency switchmode circuits; low-temperature electronics; switching losses; transistor conduction; Cryogenics; MOSFET circuits; Nitrogen; Plastic packaging; Power MOSFET; Power conversion; Switching circuits; Switching loss; Temperature; Testing;
Conference_Titel :
Low Temperature Semiconductor Electronics, 1989., Proceedings of the Workshop on
Conference_Location :
Burlington, VT
DOI :
10.1109/LTSE.1989.50189
