Comparison of Different Bypass Diode Technologies Gough Yumu Lui1, Richard Corkish2 1,2 School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy Engineering, The University of New South Wales Sydney, NSW, 2052. 1 gough@student.unsw.edu.au, 2r.corkish@unsw.edu.au ABSTRACT Bypass diodes are used in photovoltaic modules to prevent damage from hot-spot heating and improve safety. However, as cells have become larger and more efficient, there are concerns that the diodes could overheat and fail under the increased current. Qualification testing is insufficient (Wohlgemuth and Kurtz, 2011), and there is evidence of unidentified failure modes in thermal runaway from shaded to unshaded transitions and degradation of plastic encapsulation from long term exposure to high temperatures (Fahrenbruch, 2010). One solution is to change to a new bypass diode technology. There is existing literature from the companies producing these “lossless” diodes which extol their benefits (Acciari et al., 2011) but they do not compare the lossless diodes with other competing technologies. Preliminary testing was undertaken to compare the performance of P-N, Schottky, Super Barrier Rectifier (SBR), Trench MOS Barrier Schottky (TMBS) and Lossless Diodes in terms of voltage drop, power dissipation, junction temperature rise, reverse bias leakage current, timing characteristics and I-V characteristics to determine the suitability of these diodes. While there were limitations in our testing procedure, it was determined that only Lossless Diodes offer significant benefits over Schottky diodes in all tested areas. Despite the benefits offered by Lossless Diodes, there are also potential barriers, such as the positive temperature co-efficient of voltage drop, and their high costs. Further research is required to fully understand the impact of the timing characteristics of some lossless diodes and how that affects PV systems, and to understand how the lossless diodes behave when subjected to lightning surge transients. Keywords : bypass, diode, failures, lossless, overheating, photovoltaics INTRODUCTION Bypass diodes have become a standard feature of photovoltaic modules. They are provided to protect the module from hot-spot heating in case of shading, as well as improve energy collection in cases of shading (Wenham et al., 2006), and provide limited protection against arcing (Spooner and Wilmot, 2008). Most modules produced today use Schottky diodes to perform the bypass function, however, with increasing efficiencies and wafer sizes, the increased current and self heating may cause bypass diodes to fail prematurely from overheating (Fahrenbruch, 2010, Arp, n.d.). With the advent of new diode technologies claiming significant benefits over the Schottky diode, and questions about whether it is wise to change to a new bypass technology, it is important to evaluate these new technologies for their suitability to ensure optimal decisions. th AuSES Solar2011,thethe4949th AuSES Annual Conference Solar2011, Annual Conference 1 November -2 December 2011 30th November -2nd December 2011 1 1 LITERATURE REVIEW A literature review was completed in order to understand the concerns posed by Fahrenbuch (2010) and Arp (n.d.). The present requirements of bypass diodes in modules must first be identified. Secondly, field data must be assessed in order to identify that there is a problem. Finally, the causes of failures must also be identified in order to be able to understand whether a change of technology will solve the problem. The Shortcomings of Qualification Testing Qualification testing is a set of well defined, standardized accelerated stress tests which are used to qualify modules to a minimum standard. At present, IEC 61215 Edition 2 is the primary standard to which modules are presently qualified. This standard includes a bypass diode thermal test, which tests to ensure the junction temperature of the bypass diode does not exceed the manufacturer’s rating while being subjected to an ambient temperature of 75˚C and the short-circuit current of the module. It also tests to see that the diode is operational after applying 1.25 times the short-circuit current of the module for an hour. Furthermore, the insulation resistance should meet the same requirements as initial measurements and no major visual defects may occur (IEC, 2005). Qualification testing has been criticised for being wrongly applied in ways that do not make sense and for being wrongly taken to be the only testing required (Wohlgemuth, 1994). It is concluded that a module which passes qualification testing does not necessarily make a reliable module (Wohlgemuth and Kurtz, 2011). Qualification testing has also been criticised for the difficulty in equating accelerated stresses with field lifetimes, the limited number of test samples used and limitations in testing only for known failure mechanisms (Osterwald and McMahon, 2009). It also has limitations with limited oversight, with certifications given despite potential changes to module designs which may impact on their durability (Kurtz, 2011). Failures of Bypass Diodes in the Field and in Qualification Testing A study was undertaken into testing large scale PV systems. It was found that in 64 000 modules, 362 (0.6%) were not contributing power. Of those non contributing modules, 2% were caused by diodes (Lashway, 1988). In a study of long term performance and reliability of crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules, it was discovered that in a field of 60 Photowatt MU-7061 modules, three modules had failed. In the conclusion, it was stated that “bypass diodes in three Photowatt modules have failed due to shorting.” This is a 5 percent overall failure rate, with 100% of failures in this particular type of module attributable to bypass diodes (Atmaram et al., 1996). Data from returned BP Solar and Solarex multicrystalline silicon modules since 1994 shows an overall return rate of 0.13%. Of the returns, 1.5% was put down to overheated wires, diodes or terminal strip, and 0.2% to defective bypass diodes (Wohlgemuth et al., 2005). Qualification testing has shown that there are significant numbers of problems with bypass diode thermal testing. The failure rate of qualification testing was above 30% in 2005-2007 – this was attributed to new market entrants (TamizhMani et al., 2010). However, the numerical results shown in Fig.1 show that the diodes were operating very close to or above their rated temperature limits. Given that they are operating so close to their temperature limits, it is likely that the diodes will fail despite passing qualification testing (Fahrenbruch, 2010). th AuSES Solar2011,thethe4949th AuSES Annual Conference Solar2011, Annual Conference 1 November -2 December 2011 30th November -2nd December 2011 2 2 Fig. 1: Bypass Diode Thermal Test – Measured Temperatures versus Rated Temperature (TamizhMani et al., 2008) Bypass Diode Failure Modes Bypass diodes can fail due to overheating. Sealed or poorly ventilated junction boxes make it difficult for diodes to dissipate heat. Prolonged exposure to heat can also cause degradation of the plastic encapsulation, leading to insulation failure (Fahrenbruch, 2010). Thermal runaway from a forward-biased hot diode suddenly exposed to reverse bias in a shaded-to-unshaded transition could result in significant leakage currents which could continue to heat up the diode, causing its destruction (Fahrenbruch, 2010). Lightning impulses inductively coupled into modules by the wiring cause stresses on the diodes which can also cause them to fail. Experiments have shown that bypass diodes can be easily destroyed by these impulses (Haeberlin and Kaempfer, 2008). Characteristics of Improved Bypass Technologies Historically, diodes used for bypassing were P-N junction diodes. However, as they had a high forward voltage drop and hence high power dissipation, they were replaced with Schottky diodes which featured much lower voltage drop. Unfortunately, Schottky diodes also have lower thermal immunity, higher leakage current and lower surge reliability (Diodes Incorporated, n.d.) – all of which are undesirable for bypass diode applications. New technologies, such as the Super Barrier Rectifier (SBR) and Trench MOS Barrier Rectifier (TMBS) promise the robustness of P-N junction diodes with the low forward voltage drop of Schottky diodes (Diodes Incorporated, n.d., Vishay General Semiconductor, 2008). Lossless diode technologies are based on MOSFET devices and promise significantly reduced heating and forward voltage drop, as well as low leakage current and high robustness (Pulvirenti, 2010, Microsemi Corporation, n.d.). The operation of some lossless diodes involves the gate of a MOSFET being biased by a circuit involving a capacitor and a charge pump (see Fig. 2). In order to replenish the charge in the capacitor, the MOSFET is turned off, producing a voltage drop over the internal body diode of the MOSFET which is used by the charge pump to replenish the charge of the internal capacitor. This produces an on-off mode of operation, whose duty cycle is determined by many variables. th AuSES Solar2011,thethe4949th AuSES Annual Conference Solar2011, Annual Conference 1 November -2 December 2011 30th November -2nd December 2011 3 3 Fig. 2: Schematic of a lossless diode (La Scala and Pulvirenti, 2010) Costs of Different Bypass Technologies In order to compare the price of different bypass technologies, three suppliers were surveyed on 27th August 2011 for the best bulk pricing on the selected set of test diodes. The results are presented in Tab. 1. It must be remembered that pricing is fluid and dynamic and will change continually, it can be expected that as lossless diodes grow in supply, the prices will begin to fall. However, it can be seen that lossless diodes command a considerable premium above the Schottky diodes. Tab. 1: Pricing Table for Different Bypass Technologies Type P-N Schottky SBR TMBS Lossless Part Number GP1603 PVS1545 STPS1545CT SBR20U150CT VBT3045CBP SPV1001T40 SPV1002T40 LX2400 Cost Each AU$0.31 N/A US$0.40 US$0.65 AU$1.13 US$2.48 US$2.26 US$7.80 In a Lot of 500 N/A 2000 10000 4000 10000 10000 10000 Supplier A N/A B B C B B B MATERIALS AND METHODS As the testing was conducted as part of an Undergraduate Thesis program, the experiments were undertaken within a limited budget and time frame. As a result, the results obtained from these testing procedures are only of preliminary quality and may have a wide margin for error. The diodes chosen for testing were specifically targeted for PV applications or were intended for use in PV modules. Voltage Drop, Power Dissipation, Junction Temperature Rise and Reverse Bias Leakage Test A test circuit, whose schematic is shown in Fig. 3, was constructed. Wires were soldered to a diode sample and a thermocouple was epoxied to the metal tab or lead (Diotec Semiconductor, 2011). No heatsink was provided, however, some diode samples were pre-mounted and these were used in situ. The test sample was placed inside a QC Solar Smartbox Junction Box and connected to the test circuit, except in the case of the LX2400 which was placed in a larger jiffy box due to the physical size of the evaluation board. The test circuit was connected to multimeters, a Tektronix TDS2022 Digital Storage Oscilloscope and power supplies. A current limited power supply was set to an initial current of 1A. The temperature on the thermocouple was observed until the change in temperature was below 1 degree Celsius per 15 minutes. The temperature th AuSES Solar2011,thethe4949th AuSES Annual Conference Solar2011, Annual Conference 1 November -2 December 2011 30th November -2nd December 2011 4 4 reading was recorded, as were the ambient temperature and the voltage drop over the diode. The switch was flipped, triggering the oscilloscope and reverse biasing the diode. The voltage over Rsense was recorded by the oscilloscope and the peak value was recorded. If the burden voltage was not within 0.1V to 2V, Rsense was adjusted, and the experiment was repeated. This was converted to a leakage current by Ohm’s law. Once the experiment was completed for a current of 1A, it was repeated for currents of 2A, 4A, 6A, 8A and 10A provided the temperature of the diode case did not exceed 160˚C. The experiment was repeated for all diode samples. Fig. 3: Test Circuit Schematic for Voltage Drop, Power Dissipation, Junction Temperature Rise and Reverse Bias Leakage Test. The unit under test (UUT) is shown between the voltmeter test points. I-V Curve Test The diode sample was connected as shown in Fig. 4. The current limited power supply had its current varied from 0 to 3A smoothly while the oscilloscope captured raw data. This data was interpreted to produce an I-V scatter plot. Timing Characteristics Test The diode sample was connected as shown in Fig. 4. The current limited power supply was set to 1A. The oscilloscope was set to capture a screenshot. In the case of observable timing disruptions, three diodes in series would be connected in place of the single diode to determine what interactions exist between the diodes. Fig. 4: Test Circuit Schematic for Timing Characteristics Test and I-V Curve Test RESULTS AND DISCUSSION Unfortunately, as the PVS1545 and LX2400 diodes both arrived with their own heatsink, their results are not directly comparable to the other diodes or with each other. Power dissipation versus Forward Current is illustrated in Fig. 5. It is clear that the lossless diodes (SPV1001T40, SPV1002T40 and LX2400) are significantly better than th AuSES Solar2011,thethe4949th AuSES Annual Conference Solar2011, Annual Conference 1 November -2 December 2011 30th November -2nd December 2011 5 5 the Schottky, SBR and TMBS. As expected, the P-N diode provided the worst performance. Of interest is the shape of the curves – the P-N, Schottky, SBR and TMBS appear to be linear, whereas the lossless diodes are not. This is likely to be because they are based on MOSFET technology which has a positive temperature coefficient of RDSon. Furthermore, it is shown that the duty cycle of the SPV1001T40 and SPV1002T40 reduces with increasing temperature, causing the diode to operate in higher dissipation modes for a larger percentage of the time (STMicroelectronics, 2010, STMicroelectronics, 2011). Power Dissipation versus Forward Current 4.5 4 3.5 Power Dissipated (W) GP1603 3 PVS1545 STPS1545CT 2.5 SBR20U150CT VBT3045CBP 2 SPV1001T40 SPV1002T40 1.5 LX2400 1 0.5 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Forward Current (A) Fig. 5: Power Dissipation versus Forward Current Fig. 6 shows the calculated junction temperature rise above ambient versus forward current. This calculation accounts for the thermal resistance from junction to case or pad using the calculation provided in IEC 61215. Similar trends can be seen, with the lossless diodes performing best, however, the LX2400 and PVS1545 Schottky perform extremely well due to their effective heatsinks (and hence cannot be compared directly to the other results). A non-linear increase in junction temperature versus forward current for the lossless diodes can be observed here as well. Calculated Junction Temperature Rise versus Forward Current 160 Junction Temperature Rise (degrees C) 140 120 GP1603 PVS1545 100 STPS1545CT SBR20U150CT 80 VBT3045CBP SPV1001T40 60 SPV1002T40 LX2400 40 20 0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Forward Current (A) Fig. 6: Calculated Junction Temperature Rise versus Forward Current Fig. 7 shows the reverse leakage current versus the junction temperature. It can be seen that the leakage current of the lossless diodes are only loosely related to temperature, th AuSES 6 6 Solar2011,thethe4949th AuSES Annual Conference Solar2011, Annual Conference 1 November -2 -2nd December 2011 2011 30th November December and remain fairly low. This implies that thermal runaway from shaded to unshaded conditions is unlikely due to the low leakage current. Noting the logarithmic scale, the leakage currents for Schottky, SBR and TMBS diodes increase exponentially. Reverse Leakage Current versus Junction Temperature 1.00E-01 Reverse Leakage Current (A) 1.00E-02 GP1603 PVS1545 STPS1545CT SBR20U150CT 1.00E-03 VBT3045CBP SPV1001T40 SPV1002T40 LX2400 1.00E-04 1.00E-05 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 Junction Temperature (degrees C) Fig. 7: Reverse leakage current versus junction temperature Fig. 8 depicts the measured I-V curve from our experiment. It can be seen that the lossless diodes are significantly better. The performance of the TMBS and PVS1545 Schottky diodes are similar, with the STPS1545 Schottky just behind, followed by the SBR. As expected, the P-N diode performs the worst. The I-V curves for the lossless diodes SPV1001T40 and SPV1002T40 are split due to their on-off modes of operation. I-V Curve 3.5 3 2.5 GP1603 Current (A) PVS1545 2 STPS1545CT SBR20U150CT VBT3045CBP 1.5 SPV1001T40 SPV1002 LX2400 1 0.5 0 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 0.8 0.9 1 Voltage (V) Fig. 8: Measured I-V Curve Fig. 9 shows the timing characteristics for the lossless diodes. It can be seen that the SPV1001T40 (a) and the SPV1002T40 (b) suffers from abrupt changes in its forward voltage drop (from less than 0.1V to 0.7V for approximately 6-7ms in every 100ms) when switching between on and off modes of operation. This does not occur for the LX2400 (c). th AuSES 7 7 Solar2011,thethe4949th AuSES Annual Conference Solar2011, Annual Conference 1 November -2 -2nd December 2011 2011 30th November December Single Device – 50ms/div Three Series Devices - SPV1001T40 and SPV1002T40, 25ms/div (a) (d) (b) (e) (c) (f) Fig. 9: Timing Characteristics of Lossless Diodes - (a) SPV1001T40, (b) SPV1002T40, (c) LX2400, (d) No Overlapping Pulses, (e) One Overlapping Pulse, (f) Two Overlapping Pulses Placing three of these devices in series, we can obtain the traces shown in right column of Fig. 9. It can be seen that the phase of the voltage pulses are not correlated. In certain cases, they may overlap and produce pulses of twice the amplitude or three times the amplitude. These devices may act to modulate the voltage from a string when activated and produce voltage noise on the DC bus. Further research is required to understand how these pulses may affect PV systems and inverters. CONCLUSION It is shown that lossless diodes offer significant advantages in the tested areas of voltage drop, power dissipation, temperature rise and leakage current over Schottky diodes and have good potential as a replacement bypass diode technology. SBR and TMBS are unable to provide such significant advantages. However, despite these advantages, there could be price barriers against the adoption of lossless diodes. Further research is required in order to assess the suitability of lossless diodes for the role of bypass diode due to the unusual timing characteristics of lossless diodes. Further research is also th AuSES Solar2011,thethe4949th AuSES Annual Conference Solar2011, Annual Conference 1 November -2 December 2011 30th November -2nd December 2011 8 8 required to determine the surge immunity of lossless diodes in order to make a complete informed decision. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to acknowledge the assistance of STMicroelectronics and Microsemi for providing diode test samples for this research; Silex Solar in providing junction boxes and bypass diode data; and Suntech for providing bypass diode data for our experiment. I would also like to acknowledge the School of Electrical Engineering and the School of Photovoltaics and Renewable Energy Engineering of UNSW for providing the facilities which make this research possible. REFERENCES ACCIARI, G., GRACI, D. & LA SCALA, A. 2011. Higher PV Module Efficiency by a Novel CBS Bypass. Power Electronics, IEEE Transactions on, 26, 1333-1336. ARP, J. n.d. Quality of solar modules and module certification, November 5th, Poona, India [Online]. Available: http://indien.ahk.de/fileadmin/ahk_indien/Dokumente/Solar_Delegation/Photov oltaik-Institut__Dr.-Ing._J._Arp__small.pdf [Accessed 10/07/2011]. ATMARAM, G. H., VENTRE, G. G., MAYTROTT, C. W., DUNLOP, J. P. & SWAMY, R. 1996. 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