Four quadrant bidirectional switch
View Patent ↗A four quadrant bidirectional switch. In one embodiment, the four quadrant bidirectional switch comprises a first switch, a second switch, and a third switch, wherein (i) the first and second switches are normally-off switches, (ii) the third switch is a dual-gate, bidirectional, normally-on switch, and (iii) the first, the second, and the third switches are coupled to one another in a bi-cascode configuration.
1. A four quadrant bidirectional switch comprising:
a bidirectional power switch having a first switch, a second switch, and a third switch, wherein (i) the first and second switches are normally-off switches, (ii) the third switch is a dual-gate, bidirectional, normally-on switch, and (iii) the first, the second, and the third switches are coupled to one another in a bi-cascode configuration; and wherein the bidirectional power switch operates in each quadrant of a four quadrant voltage-current plane.
2. The four quadrant bidirectional switch of claim 1 , wherein the first and second switches are silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETS).
3. The four quadrant bidirectional switch of claim 2 , wherein the first and second switches are n-channel enhancement mode switches.
4. The four quadrant bidirectional switch of claim 1 , wherein the third switch comprises a wide bandgap semiconductor material.
5. The four quadrant bidirectional switch of claim 4 , wherein the wide bandgap semiconductor material is aluminum gallium nitride/gallium nitride (AlGaN/GaN).
6. The four quadrant bidirectional switch of claim 5 , wherein the third switch employs a High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) structure.
7. The four quadrant bidirectional switch of claim 1 , wherein the bidirectional power switch is implemented on a single substrate.
8. A power conversion system, comprising:
a power converter comprising a bidirectional power switch comprising a first switch, a second switch, and a third switch, wherein (i) the first and second switches are normally-off switches, (ii) the third switch is a dual-gate, bidirectional, normally-on switch, and (iii) the first, the second, and the third switches are coupled to one another in a bi-cascode configuration; and wherein the bidirectional power switch operates in each quadrant of a four quadrant voltage-current plane.
9. The power conversion system of claim 8 , wherein the first and second switches are silicon metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETS).
10. The power conversion system of claim 9 , wherein the first and second switches are n-channel enhancement mode switches.
11. The power conversion system of claim 8 , wherein the third switch comprises a wide bandgap semiconductor material.
12. The power conversion system of claim 11 , wherein the wide bandgap semiconductor material is aluminum gallium nitride/gallium nitride (AlGaN/GaN).
13. The power conversion system of claim 12 , wherein the third switch employs a High Electron Mobility Transistor (HEMT) structure.
14. The power conversion system of claim 8 , wherein the bidirectional power switch is implemented on a single substrate.
15. The power conversion system of claim 8 , wherein the power converter is a resonant converter.
16. The power conversion system of claim 8 , wherein the power converter is a DC-DC converter.
17. The power conversion system of claim 8 , wherein the power converter is a DC-AC inverter.
18. The power conversion system of claim 8 , wherein the power converter is an AC-AC converter.
19. The power conversion system of claim 8 , wherein the power converter receives a DC input from a renewable energy source.
20. The power conversion system of claim 19 , wherein the renewable energy source is a photovoltaic (PV) module.