WP2 pursues the overall target of providing novel integrated GaN components for reliable benchmark efficiency and power density. This work package will address innovative ways of integrating switches with drivers in diverse concepts such as SiP and SoC to significantly reduce parasitic loop inductances. In the 100 V integrated GaN segment, Europe is clearly lagging behind the developments of US companies and therefore needs to catch up, which should be possible with the envisioned GaN-SiP integration. Furthermore, the planned GaN-SoC integration will set a new benchmark with regards to switching losses. In addition to the 100 V activities, a 650 V GaN-SoC integrated half-bridge will be developed which would be the world-wide first GaN-switch in a half-bridge configuration in one semiconductor. Being complemented by innovative GaN embedding technologies including many aspects (e.g., material selection, thermal considerations) and a dedicated tasks dealing with reliability and PHM, WP2 is well positioned to contribute to three use cases as well as the highly ambitious overall project goals. 

Interaction & Relation with other WPs: WP1 and WP5, vertically with WP3 and WP4

Leader: IFAT

WP3 fully addresses the development of accurate multi-physics models as digital twins of power electronics systems that will be used in the use cases and then these developed models will be virtually integrated together creating a virtual prototyping platform, which will enable a rapid technical assessment of the dynamic performances of the power electronics (sub-) systems in each use case. In this WP3, a Multi-Objective Optimization tool will be developed to design the power modules with/without the control systems for all use cases in terms of high efficiency, high power density, less failure mechanism and lower cost. Integrated smart sensors will be fully addressed in this WP3 considering the reliability and safety aspects.

Interaction & Relation with other WPs: WP1 and 5, vertically WP2 and WP4

Leader: VUB

WP4 is dealing with the thermal challenges imposed by the integration and modular system requirements of the power electronic systems for electrical vehicles introduced by the various use cases. For the defined use cases the current thermal management baselines have been explored. Modularity and integration of the various components requires innovative thermal management and possibly new and more powerful cooling methods. This work package will explore the possibilities to implement the innovative thermal management systems and to develop for specific use cases more powerful integrated cooling methods. Combined with the outcome of WP2 and WP3, WP4 results in demonstrators to be integrated in WP5 and tested in WP6.

Interaction & Relation with other WPs: WP1 and WP5, vertically WP2 and WP3

Leader: TNO

WP5 gives diverse improvements and development on GaN- and SiC-based applications and concepts:

-       - development of embedding technologies for GaN and SiC bare dies into PCB;

-       - development of universal inverter application based on SiC;

-       - improvements on gate drivers for highly integrated switching cells in package;

-     - development of smart interaction between physical sensors and power electronics with impact on all UCs with respect to the relevant control units.

First testing of all developed converters/inverters will be completed and based on the results of PHM-tasks located in WP 3 & 4, the algorithms are selected regarding their robustness and integrated into a compact digital-twin. Both, physics-of-failure and data driven approaches, are considered. An overall system-health score is deduced. If necessary, model-order-reduction is applied to make the algorithms fitting into the calculation power of the target HW of the use cases. The generated code is validated against test sets of data in a respective environment and the detailed models derived in WP3 (FEM) & 4 (TIS). Accelerated testing (e.g., thermal cycling) is applied (active/passive thermal cycling).

Interaction & Relation with other WPs: all other WPs

Leader: IFAG

WP6 is implementing the complete target systems with the components and know-how that has been developed in the previous work packages. This includes integration activities, start-up tests, system testing and validation as well as reliability tests. Each use case is part of this work package to implement its system and to do the testing that was defined during the requirements phase in WP1. 

Interaction & Relation with other WPs: all other WPs

Leader: AVL-SFR

This work package summarizes all coordination and management activities. The aim is to provide efficient project structures to manage resources and results according to the project plan and ensure exploitation by continuously mitigating the risks, which might come up. Other relevant activities will be dissemination and exploitation.

Dissemination is a natural process promoting the project and makes research results known to various stakeholder groups (like research peers, industry and other commercial actors, professional organizations, policymakers) in a targeted way, to enable them to use the results in their own work. Exploitation explains the use of the results during and after the project end. Therefore, plans for dissemination and exploitation will be created in the course of the project. There will be in both cases an initial (M12) and a final dissemination / exploitation plan (M33) prepared by the consortium. These deliverables will summarize the beneficiaries’ strategy and concrete actions related to the protection, dissemination, and exploitation of the project results.

Interaction & Relation with other WPs: all other WPs

Leader: AVL, STUBA, IFAG