Athwer, A. and Darwish, Ahmed and Ma, Xiandong (2025) Enhancing the Performance of a DC-DC Ćuk Converter Topology Using Wide Bandgap-Based Devices. In: 60th International Universities Power Engineering Conference, 2025-09-02 - 2025-09-05, Brunel University London.
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
Abstract— Among several types of DC-DC converters, the Ćuk converter plays an important role in the conversion and management of power systems for various power applications, such as renewable energy systems, electric vehicles, and other electronic devices. However, the power loss of the switching devices remains a concern and may affect the performance of such a converter model. Therefore, this paper presents an improved classical Cuk converter topology using highly efficient wide bandgap (WBG) devices based on silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) semiconductor technologies. These devices feature low on-resistance and fast switching capabilities, which allow for reduced switching power losses and improved overall converter performance and efficiency. The modification involved replacing the conventional silicon (Si) based power switch with SiC and GaN based switches. A comparison of switching power losses was performed using a Double Pulse Test (DPT) via LTspice software. Then, the Ćuk converter based on the selected conventional Si IGBT, SiC MOSFETs, and GaN transistor was simulated using the PLECS® Standalone tool to verify the effectiveness of the modified converter model and to assess the switching power losses using the thermal model system.