Theses and Dissertations Collection

Gallium nitride (GaN) transistors are becoming more common in power electronics.

This thesis describes how they can be used to improve solar generators by improving

the inverter that they contain. The benefits of using GaN in an inverter include higher

efficiency, higher switching speeds, and the ability to reduce the size of some inverter

components. The full-bridge inverter topology was chosen for this inverter because of its

favorable high-frequency switching characteristics. Using a full-bridge GaN-based inverter

evaluation board from Transphorm, Inc., a PI control scheme was successfully designed

for this inverter using the simulation software PSIM. This control scheme performed

satisfactorily when tested in the inverter showing that PSIM can be a useful design tool

for high-frequency GaN-based inverters.