High efficiency, high reliability 2 kW inverter for aeronautical application

In aerospace electrical systems, the design trade off is made by the optimization between 5 main constraints : efficiency, EMI, environment, integration level and reliability. In this paper is presented a power inverter solution that enables a high level of integration and a high level of efficiency. The integration of the power inverter is made in one single module that comprises 3 phase legs and one temperature measurement. This type of assembly enables to reduce the inverter volume by suppressing the use of discrete power components. The temperature cycling made revealed that this packaging assembly can withstand severe aeronautical environment. In the same time, the use of IGBT dies combined to SiC Schottky Diodes allows a 45% reduction on switching losses. The paper will present some tables that summarize the efficiency characterization done on the power module. Finally, this type of module will enable an easiest integration of the inverter in a complete controller environment with an improved reliability. Moreover this is done in a smaller whole volume due to the heat sink shrinking thanks to the improved efficiency.