University of Arkansas wins $200K NSF Grant to study GaN
Researchers at the University of Arkansas' GRid-connected Advanced Power Electronic Systems Center (GRAPES) have received a $200,000 grant to study the modeling of GaN devices. Alan Mantooth, distinguished professor of electrical engineering and executive director of the centre, will lead the effort.
One of the barriers to the acceptance of GaN devices is a lack of high-quality models for circuit simulation that allow designers to evaluate them against silicon technology. Since the vast majority of all circuit design and simulation is done in computer programs, the lack of these models makes it very difficult for circuit designers to accurately portray how GaN devices will behave.
This grant allows the U of A researchers to develop and evaluate a high-performance compact model for GaN power devices. Compact models are used by circuit designers to simulate the performance and behaviour of their designs before committing them to manufacture.
These models are especially important in power electronic applications where many real-world scenarios can be analysed safely. Further, statistical and failure mode analyses, which are practically impossible through experimentation, can be easily performed.
