The student Borja Alberdi Esuain an EXCELLENT CUM LAUDE

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The student Borja Alberdi Esuain an EXCELLENT CUM LAUDE

THESIS

The student Borja Alberdi Esuain an EXCELLENT CUM LAUDE

2025·11·24

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  • Thesis title: Impact of wide bandgap semiconductors on vertical traction systems

Court:

  • Presidency: María Pilar Molina Gaudó (Universidad de Zaragoza)
  • Vocal: Irma Villar Iturbe (Ikerlan)
  • Vocal: Alain Sanchez Ruiz (UPV/EHU)
  • Vocal: Jon Azurza Anderson (Infineon Technologies)
  • Secretary: Iosu Aizpuru Larrañaga (Mondragon Unibertsitatea)

Abstract:

As global energy demands grow and competition intensifies, industries face the dual challenge of reducing emissions while maintaining performance. In this context, optimizing power management systems, which are built around semiconductor transistors, plays a key role. Silicon has long dominated this field, but the emergence of Wide BandGap (WBG) semiconductors, offering superior electrical properties, is set to reshape the landscape. Leveraging their advantages can enhance the competitiveness of power electronics, though their adoption requires a comprehensive system redesign. The full potential of WBG materials in industrial applications remains underexplored, and further research is needed. This thesis presents a comprehensive study and practical framework for the integration of WBG semiconductors in power electronic systems. The document begins with a state-of-the-art review of WBG materials and emerging semiconductor technologies, comparing their advantages using various Figures of Merit (FOM) and examining current market trends, Chapter 1. Chapter 2 focuses on GaN HEMT technology, with particular emphasis on Gallium Nitride (GaN) Gate Injection Transistors (GIT) for high-voltage applications. Key integration challenges are discussed, supported by experimental analysis of critical factors such as saturation current, dynamic on-resistance, and short-circuit robustness. To support WBG integration in power converter design, an equation-based, customizable analytical model is developed in Chapter 3, which is configured to estimate switching transitions and power losses. The model is validated experimentally using a Silicon Metal Oxide Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) push-pull DC/DC converter. In Chapter 4, the lift application is explored as a case study, and after studying various possible scenarios for WBG integration, a GaN-based DC/DC converter is designed. In this design, the presented tool is employed and experimentally validated, confirming the model’s applicability to WBG devices. A soft-switching converter using Si-MOSFETs is also developed under the same specifications, enabling a comparative discussion of hard- vs. soft-switching topologies across semiconductor technologies. Lastly, a high-voltage GaN HEMT converter design is presented, outlining future research directions and concluding the work.