Industrial manufacturers that integrate a wide number of parts in their systems commonly require to model it in a unique environment. One typical and most used simulation environment is SaberRD, since it offers a possibility to simulate an entire complex system involving multiple engineering fields in the same model.

Therefore, to work with them, suppliers must provide models of their parts in SaberRD environment.

Each semiconductor has specific characteristics (on-load loss, transient current, capacitances…). Fortunately, semiconductors manufacturers provide information about their products in a standardized way.

Complex systems are tedious and difficult to model. They consist in combinations of many parts and usually concern several engineering fields. These fields often interact with each other. For example, the behavior of electrical part will engender losses and, then, influence the thermal part.

To carry a Robust Design project, it is mandatory that main parameters of those complex systems can be varied. This will allows realize all type of parametric studies: Sensitivity, Monte-Carlo and Optimization.

During design process, it can be decided to change devices shapes. Devices models must then be tunable to remain representative.

Saber integrate an HDL language, the MAST. This language is built on IEEE Standard 1076-2008 and is the de facto Industry standard. This language provides flexibility and depth so that it is possible to represent any component or system behavior.

This modelling work basically consists in tedious tasks and necessitates lots of different steps such as:

• The development of the model itself
• A proper validation using the real test bench measurements,
• A complete documentation on the possibilities and limitations of the model.

In this context, the POWERSYS consulting team can provide the following services:

• Modelling semi-conductor devices
• Modelling tunable complex devices, including a wide number of devices
• Model validation through comparison with test curves
• Writing a code in HDL that represent a specific model

The level of model complexity that is required by a project depends a lot of the phase you are in: for example, users do not want to spend too much time for modelling in pre-design phase while, in conception phase, numerous phenomena must be taken into account to anticipate failures before prototyping.

To answer this wide range of needs, various simulation tools have been developed. Some are easy-to-use. So, users will carry their studies in this software as much as possible. However, when complex studies, as Robust Design, are required, it is necessary to use an advanced software like Saber.

It then becomes necessary to move easily from one software to another. Starting back in Saber all the work that has already been done in another software is a tedious task.

Most of electronic components manufacturers provides models of their devices in few software, as Spice or Ibis. To use such models in Saber, it is then necessary to import these models.

Although many components models are widespread, they are implemented in each software with slight particularities. For example, some aspects whose influence is low are sometimes represented. Moreover, rare components can be implemented in a software. Therefore, it becomes mandatory to create components models in Saber.

In this context, the POWERSYS consulting team can provide the following services: 

• Importing models of components to Saber from Spice or Ibis,
• Reproducing a component model with a Saber subcircuit,
• Importing a design to Saber

In Power electronics systems, switches can turn on and off several thousand time by seconds. When a switch is turned off, reactive elements respond by producing undesirable transients such as voltage peaks. Such overvoltages can then spread into the power converter.

The turn off/on of a semiconductor is a quite complex phenomenon. It includes energy losses and capacitances charging and discharging. An unusually advanced modelling and study is required to study it.

Voltage transient will modify the power converter performances and can cause components failures and fires due to overvoltages. So, the issue of transient phenomena must be tackled.

Some solutions can be added to the power converter to mitigate these transients. Some of the most common ones are:

• MOV (metal-oxyde varistor),
• TVS (Transient voltage suppressors),
• Zener diodes,
• Snubbers,
• Filters

Simulating the occurrence an overvoltage in a circuit with an overvoltage protection device allows evaluate the performance of these protections and size them.

In this context, the POWERSYS consulting team can provide the following services: 

• Estimating the time-domain response of a switching in several parts of the circuit,
• Determining the risk of device failure caused by an overvoltage,
• Sizing a mitigation solution for overvoltage