Die vorliegende Arbeit befasst sich mit der Entwicklung, Herstellung und Untersuchung von ZnO-basierten Feldeffekttransistoren (FET). Dabei werden im ersten Teil Eigenschaften von ein- und mehrschichtigen Isolatoren mit hohen Dielektrizitätskonstanten betrachtet, die mittels gepulster Laserabscheidung (PLD) dargestellt wurden. Die elektrischen und kapazitiven Eigenschaften dieser Isolatoren innerhalb von Metall-Isolator-Metall (MIM) bzw. Metall-Isolator-Halbleiter (MIS) Übergängen wurden untersucht. Letzterer wurde schließlich als Gate-Struktur in Metall-Isolator-Halbleiter-FET (MISFET) mit unten (backgate) bzw. oben liegendem Gate (topgate) genutzt. Der zweite Teil konzentriert sich auf Metal-Halbleiter-FET (MESFET), die einen Schottky-Kontakt alsGate nutzen. Dieser wurde mittels reaktiver Kathodenzerstäubung (Sputtern) von Ag, Pt, Pd oder Au unter Einflußvon Sauerstoff hergestellt. ZnO-MESFET stellen eine vielversprechende Alternative zu den bisher in der Oxid-basierten Elektronik verwendeten MISFET dar. Durch die Variation des verwendeten Gate-Metalls, Dotierung, Dicke und Struktur des Kanals und Kontakstruktur, wurde ein Herstellungsstandard gefunden, der zu weiteren Untersuchungen herangezogen wurde. So wurde die Degradation der MESFET unter Belastung durch dauerhaft angelegte Spannung, Einfluss von Licht und erhöhten Temperaturen sowie lange Lagerung getestet. Weiterhin wurden ZnO-MESFET auf industriell genutztem Glasssubstrat hergestellt und untersucht, um die Möglichkeit einer großflächigen Anwendung in Anzeigeelementen aufzuzeigen. Einfache integrierte Schaltungen, wie Inverter und ein NOR-Gatter, wurden realisiert. Dazu wurden Inverter mit sogenannten Pegelschiebern verwendet, welche die Ausgangsspannung des Inverters so verschieben, dass eine logische Aneinanderreihungvon Invertern möglich wird. Schließlich wurden volltransparente MESFET und Inverter, basierend auf neuartigen transparenten gleichrichtenden Kontakten demonstriert.

Yes / The single-stage flyback Photovoltaic (PV) micro-inverter is considered as a simple and small in size topology but requires expensive digital microcontrollers such as Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or Digital Signal Processor (DSP) to increase the system efficiency, this would increase the cost of the overall system. To solve this problem, based on a single-stage flyback structure, this paper proposed a low cost and simple analog-digital control scheme. This control scheme is implemented using a low cost ATMega microcontroller built in the Arduino Uno board and some analog operational amplifiers. First, the single-stage flyback topology is analyzed theoretically and then the design consideration is obtained. Second, a 120 W prototype was developed in the laboratory to validate the proposed control. To prove the effectiveness of this control, we compared the cost price, overall system efficiency, and THD values of the proposed results with the results obtained by the literature. So, a low system component, single power stage, cheap control scheme, and decent efficiency are achieved by the proposed system. Finally, the experimental results present that the proposed system has a maximum efficiency of 91%, with good values of the total harmonic distortion (THD) compared to the results of other authors / This work was supported in-part by Innovate UK GCRF Energy Catalyst PiCREST project under Grant number 41358, in-part by British Academy GCRF COMPENSE project under Grant GCRFNGR3\1541

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No description available.

Isolated inverters feature the freedom in voltage step-up/down, electrical safety, and modularity. Among them, pseudo-dc-link inverters have the advantage of high efficiency due to their single-stage structure. Traditionally, pseudo-dc-link inverters are based on pulse-width-modulated converters, which suffer from hard switching, the need for auxiliary components, and/or high current stresses. Meanwhile, the series resonant converter has been prevalent in past decades due to its simplicity and high efficiency. Therefore, it is intriguing to design a single-stage inverter based on a series resonant converter. However, there are limited papers regarding such an inverter topology. To figure out the reason, basic modulation methods proposed or implied in the literature are summarized and evaluated through circuit simulation software. It turns out each basic modulation method has at least one critical drawback in modulation range, hard switching, and/or high current stresses. Given the deficiencies in the basic modulation methods, a hybrid modulation method is proposed here. The proposed method combines variable-frequency modulation in the high-output region and short pulse-density modulation in the low-output region. In this way, all the aforementioned critical drawbacks can be greatly alleviated. The hybrid modulation method is compared to the basic modulation methods based on three design metrics: the rms value of the resonant current, the magnetic flux of the transformer, and the turn-off current. By these design metrics that directly related to power losses, the benefit of the proposed method in terms of efficiency can be explained. Moreover, a power loss model is also established to provide more insights into the inverter's efficiency performance. It helps demonstrate how the selection of resonant tank and other factors affects the power loss distribution. Also, an inverter design procedure is introduced and a prototype is built to verify the proposed modulation method. The results show that the switching losses, especially the turn-on loss, can be well suppressed, and the losses in other passive components are well restrained. This implies the proposed method is suitable for high-frequency applications. Other than efficiency, output waveform quality is also important for an inverter. However, the changing plant model makes the controller design difficult. Therefore, a third-order model established by other researchers has been adopted to identify the pole locations. In addition, a gain-varying method is proposed for the compensator to reduce the gain variance caused by different operating conditions. The experimental results show that without the gain-varying method, the inverter may have issues in slow tracking and/or instability. Finally, in some scenarios, the inverter based on a series resonant converter can be regarded as a module. A multi-modular inverter can be formed by connecting the modules in an input-parallel-output-series configuration. In this case, a technique termed sequential waveform synthesis can be applied. The proposed technique can extend the region of variable-frequency modulation and shorten the region of short pulse-density modulation. This is beneficial to efficiency based on an analysis. With more than a certain amount of modules connected, the short pulse-density modulation can even be waived, which means the multi-modular inverter can be free from turn-on loss. In summary, this dissertation focuses on developing modulation methods for inverters based on the series resonant converter. Soft-switching feature and high efficiency are the two top priorities. The analytic and experimental results are provided based on standalone applications. / Doctor of Philosophy / Inverters are an important part of a modern electric power system, as they convert dc electric power into ac electric power. In some applications, inverters with electrical insulation (isolated inverters) are preferred due to the need for engineering freedom, safety, and other reasons. However, each conventional isolated inverter has some of the following drawbacks: hard-switching in semiconductor devices, high circulating current, poor transformer utilization, and high complexity. These drawbacks limit the efficiency and compactness of an inverter system, making the system less attractive to practical applications. An inverter based on a series resonant converter seems to be a solution because the series resonant converter is known for being simple and highly-efficient. However, there has yet to be a proper modulation method for it. Therefore, the main contribution of this dissertation is to propose a hybrid modulation method. With the proposed method, the inverter can operate with high efficiency. Furthermore, the hard-switching can be well suppressed, which means a high-frequency, compact design is possible. Besides the theory of the proposed method, this dissertation also includes a power loss model, a hardware design procedure, and analytic comparisons with other methods. In addition, a digital approach to control the inverter is proposed. Without it, the output voltage waveform may be highly distorted. Finally, another sequential control strategy is proposed in this dissertation for an integrated system. The integrated system is composed of multiple inverters based on a series resonant converter. With the sequential control strategy, the overall output waveform quality of the integrated system can be improved.

Master of Science / Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering / Ruth D. Miller / This thesis presents the design of a multilevel D-STATCOM inverter for small to mid-size (10–20 kW) permanent-magnet wind or solar installations. The proposed inverter can actively regulate the reactive power on individual feeder lines at a programmable output while providing the variable output power of the renewable energy source. The aim is to provide utilities with distributive control of VAR compensation and power factor correction on feeder lines. The designed inverter utilizes a 5-level hybrid-clamped multilevel voltage-source converter topology and uses the optimized harmonic stepped waveform technique for harmonic elimination. The topology allows for the separation of active and reactive power control and the ability to operate under any load conditions. Reactive power is controlled by the modulation index and active power is controlled by the phase angle. Simulations and validation of the proposed inverter were carried out using MATLAB/Simulink and SimPowerSystems toolboxes.

The purpose of my thesis is to establish a simple thermal model for a Parker GVM 210-150P motor and a SEVCON Gen4 Size8 inverter. These models give temperature variations of critical components in the motor and the inverter. My thesis will help Georgia Tech's EcoCAR-3 team in understanding the physics behind thermal modeling and why thermal study is necessary. This work is a prerequisite for Software in the Loop (SIL) simulations or Hardware in the Loop (HIL) simulations for a hybrid electric vehicle.

The availability of high speed and high power switching devices, such as the IGBT, has opened the opportunity for an increasing number of grid-connected inverter applications that have historically been unachievable. Recently, the number of inverter applications has surged, with now the focus being on increasing the relative performance and power capability. Such applications include UPSs, dynamic voltage restorers, STATCOMs, frequency converters and distributed grid sources such as solar panels. The inverter switching frequency limits its associated bandwidth and hence performance. Every application can benefit by reduction of the extent of this limitation. While state of the art devices like IGBTs enable such applications, the onus is now on developing high bandwidth digital controllers; the ability to connect multiple devices together to achieve power scaling; and having the confidence that the applications will work with other systems on a grid.% Solutions for for improving the inverter performance, ability to scale the power and operation compliance with other grid-connected devices are sought. Constraints and limitations imposed by the hardware and traditional continuous-time derived controllers are identified. A discrete-time direct design controller is then developed specifically for digital controllers, that for the same inverter configuration, achieves twice the bandwidth of a well-tuned traditional controller. An important feature of a controller is having the configurability of being able to choose inverter bandwidth over stability margin. To provide power scaling above that of a single switching module, investigations are performed on the suitability of actively paralleling inverter modules. Both the use of the developed discrete direct design controller and the identification of potential inter-module instabilities for a particular configuration enables the application of paralleled inverters. The operation is confirmed through the application of a sixteen paralleled module inverter system. Finally, a graphical analysis technique is introduced for analysing complex grids that may include inverter systems. The graphical technique demonstrates stability constraints with a range of sources and loads, including both inverters and rotating machines, which historical analysis techniques have been unable to do.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering / Ruth Douglas Miller / This dissertation presents the design of a novel multi-level inverter with FACTS capability for small to mid-size (10–20kW) permanent-magnet wind installations using modular multi-level converter (MMC) topology. The aim of the work is to design a new type of inverter with D-STATCOM option to provide utilities with more control on active and reactive power transfer of distribution lines. The inverter is placed between the renewable energy source, specifically a wind turbine, and the distribution grid in order to fix the power factor of the grid at a target value, regardless of wind speed, by regulating active and reactive power required by the grid. The inverter is capable of controlling active and reactive power by controlling the phase angle and modulation index, respectively. The unique contribution of the proposed work is to combine the two concepts of inverter and D-STATCOM using a novel voltage source converter (VSC) multi-level topology in a single unit without additional cost. Simulations of the proposed inverter, with 5 and 11 levels, have been conducted in MATLAB/Simulink for two systems including 20 kW/kVAR and 250 W/VAR. To validate the simulation results, a scaled version (250 kW/kVAR) of the proposed inverter with 5 and 11 levels has been built and tested in the laboratory. Experimental results show that the reduced-scale 5- and 11-level inverter is able to fix PF of the grid as well as being compatible with IEEE standards. Furthermore, total cost of the prototype models, which is one of the major objectives of this research, is comparable with market prices.

<h2><strong>Summary</strong></h2><p><strong> </strong>Today we are probably on a point of change for the car industry. The last century was the century of vehicles with internal combustion engines. Fossil fuels were relative cheap, easy accessible and they have a high specific energy. The pollution and dependency on oil caused the last decade an increasing demand for alternatives. Alternatives for electric power plants and for car drives. Yet the turnover to hybrids is a fact and much research is done for pure electric vehicles. Research about the control of electric motors is by that become a hot topic.</p><p>To simulate an electric vehicle drive with an induction motor, a frequency converter is needed. This combination of motor and converter led to many possible experiments. With a few experiments already done and a broad theoretical background report this thesis provides a good bundle of information to start with further experiments. The experiments can become even broader when a flywheel is added as mass inertia momentum and a DC source on the DC-link. Both elements contribute for a better simulation of an electric motor in an electric vehicle.</p><p>What is described in this theoretical report about the combination of an induction motor and converter is only the tip of the iceberg. I had too less time to begin experimenting with the flying wheel. The DC-link voltage becomes ca. 540V. From the perspective of safety I could never work alone with the DC-link. Even with a companion it was too dangerous because the equipment of the Halmstad University is not made for such dangerous voltages. That’s why this thesis contains more theoretical background and less actual practical data.</p><p><strong></strong></p> / <h2>SAMENVATTING</h2><p><em>Momenteel bevinden we ons in een tijd van omslag. Na een eeuw waarin de brandstofmotor het transportlandschap domineerde, is er nood aan een alternatief. Fossiele brandstof zorgt voor schadelijke uitlaatgassen bij verbranding en de afhankelijkheid van andere landen voor de bevoorrading van fossiele brandstof blijft altijd een risicofactor. De eerste stap in deze verandering is gezet met de ontwikkeling van hybride wagens. De toekomst zal waarschijnlijk helemaal elektrisch worden. Daarom is het onderzoek naar de controle van elektrische motoren belangrijk.</em></p><p><em>In de universiteit van Halmstad zijn er verscheidene inductiemotoren aanwezig in het elektriciteitslabo. De doelstelling was dat ik een frequentieomvormer selecteerde, bestelde en parametreerde op basis van deze motoren. Daarnaast kreeg ik de vrijheid om een elektrische wagen te simuleren. Dit zou ik doen door een vliegwiel voor de traagheid en door een batterij na te bootsen om de DC-link te voeden. Al mijn informatie moest ik bundelen in deze thesistekst zodat het eventueel een handige bundel werd voor toekomstige studenten die willen werken met de convertor.</em></p><p><em>Ik had slechts 2 maanden de tijd om dit uit te voeren, metingen te doen en een theoretisch verslag te schrijven. Vanwege deze korte tijdspanne was het niet mogelijk het vliegwiel te implementeren. Daarnaast was de tussenkringspanning ongeveer 540V DC. Dit is zeer gevaarlijk zodat ze liever hadden dat ik de proeven met een gesimuleerde batterij liet varen. Dit verklaart enigszins waarom uitgebreide meetresultaten ontbreken en deze thesis vooral een bredere theoretische toets heeft.</em></p>