Comparison and Evaluation of Common Mode EMI

Filter Topologies for GaN-based Motor Drive

Systems
Casey T. Morris, Di Han, Student Member, IEEE, Bulent Sarlioglu, Senior Member, IEEE
Wisconsin Electric Machines and Power Electronic Consortium (WEMPEC)
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI 53706 USA
sarlioglu@wisc.edu

Abstract--As many industries look to wide bandgap (WBG)

devices to replace Si devices in power applications, their effects
on the power converter need to be first understood in full. While
the benefits of WBG devices are widely known, including high
switching frequency operating capability, the special
characteristics of these new devices have the potential to cause
other issues, in particular electromagnetic interference/
compatibility (EMI/EMC). In this paper, multiple EMI filter
topologies are investigated for a motor drive system utilizing
WBG devices, GaN HEMTs. The different topologies are
simulated using LTSpice circuit simulation software and the
results are analyzed and complied with MATLAB. The tradeoffs
of different filter topologies, namely attenuation versus efficiency
and ground current, are demonstrated, providing crucial
information for system level designers implementing WBG power
switching devices.
Keywordcommon mode, electromagnetic interference, filter
topologies, GaN, motor drives, wide bandgap

I.

INTRODUCTION

In recent years, special interest has been paid to wide

bandgap (WBG) semiconductor based power switching
devices, as they have many inherent benefits compared to their
silicon counterparts. Examples of these benefits include
reduced on state resistance, higher switching speed
capabilities, and higher temperature characteristics [1], [2].
WBG devices, such as silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs and
gallium nitride (GaN) HEMTs, have been researched and
studied in a variety of applications and have been shown to
reduce weight and increase efficiency [3], [4]. Despite these
benefits, it is necessary to understand the whole spectrum of
impact that the implementation of these new devices will have
on switching power converters and drives. For instance, the
impact of dead-time on GaN switches was investigated in [5].
Another area of particular interest is conducted
electromagnetic interference (EMI).
Although the enhanced switching speed capability of
WBG devices has been shown to reduce output filter sizes [6],

978-1-4673-9550-2/16/$31.00 2016 IEEE

TABLE I. PARAMETER VALUES USED IN STUDY

Filter Specs.

Motor Specs.

Name

Value

Unit

Name

Value

Unit

Vbus

100

Cm

1.2

nF

fs

200

kHz

Rm

Cdc

30

Rs

10.6

Ldc_cm

1.2

mH

Ls

6.7

mH

Ccm

100

nF

Lr

10

mH

Lac_cm

2.7

mH

Lm

76.4

mH

Rdm

Rr/s

5.2

the EMI induced in the converter also increases [7]. This is a

result of the increased dv/dt and di/dt transients, which lead to
more noise production. To safely and reliably use these new
converters at the higher switching speeds, some form of EMI
mitigation is required, usually in the form of passive filters
[8], [9]. Research has focused on the development of various
EMI filters for power converters, both with Si components and
WBG devices [10][12]. Different design methods have been
proposed [7], [13], [14], as well as research into other related
practical issues, such as inductor saturation [15] and grounded
heat sink induced parasitics [16].
The contribution of this paper is to achieve a
comprehensive study of the EMI of GaN-based power
converters and potential filter topologies needed. Due to the
coupling effects between the differential and common mode
filters shown in [17], [18], only the common mode (CM) noise
and filter are considered. Different CM filter topologies are
studied and characterized in terms of their effectiveness and
complexity in a GaN motor drive application, providing EMI
filter designers a basis to develop the best filter for their needs.

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The layout of this paper is as follows: Section II describes

the modeling and measurement of common mode noise;
Section III presents the filter topologies that are studied;
Section IV compares the filters in terms of attenuation, ground
current and their efficiency; and finally, Section V draws
conclusions.
II.

Cm

Lr

Rr/s

Lr

Rr/s

Ls

Rs
Cm

Lm

Rm

The machine and its parasitics studied in this paper are

modelled as in Figure 1. The values of the components are
displayed in Table I, many of which were derived from
experimentally testing an induction motor in the lab. The
study is performed at steady state operating conditions. The
standardized method to measure EMI is through a line
impedance stabilization network (LISN), which is connected
between the source and inverter as shown in Figure 2. The
common mode voltage is then calculated as:

Cm

where Vpp and Vnn are the voltages between the DC side lines
and ground, labeled in Figure 2. The measurements are then
transformed to the frequency domain and their limits are
defined depending on application.
FILTER DERIVATIONS

The study was performed comparing 3 different EMI filter

topologies to a baseline case with no filters. The parameters of
the study are shown in Table I, and the various iterations of
the filters are shown in Figure 3. The study was performed
using the LTSpice simulation software, and each filter is

Lm

Rm

Ground Plane

Figure 1. Steady state model of induction machine with

parasitics included at input.

LISN
50H
8F

250nF

+
5

1k

50

Vpp

Inverter
And
Motor

Vbus

+
5

1k

50

Vnn

8F
250nF

ig

50H

ig

Ground Plane

Figure 2. Configuration of LISN to measure CM and DM

EMI noise.
simulated. In all of the simulations, an DM filter comprised of
a floating LC connection is present and is the same for all CM
filter iterations. The values are designed based on the work
done in [18].
A.

(1)

Ls

Rs

Phase C

To facilitate the design of the EMI filter, modelling of the

inverter, motor and its parasitics is crucial, as measuring EMI
noise before filter design is time consuming and laborsome
[21], [18]. Some modeling methods have been suggested, [16],
[20], and in this paper, the method discussed in [16] to model
the parasitics is used. This model is sufficient for the purpose
of this study as it lends insights into the dominating factors to
be considered when designing an EMI filter.

III.

Rr/s

Lm

Phase B

CM noise is the noise signal between the neutral phase and

the ground node, i.e. it is the high frequency current traveling
from the drive and motor to the ground plane. It is caused by
many of the parasitics in the system, including the motor
winding to case capacitance, device to heatsink capacitance,
etc. [16], [19], [20]. These elements provide an alternative
path to ground and can negatively impact the power supplies,
inverter, and motors. The additional current flowing through
the inverter increases losses and results in the need of
additional cooling. In the motor, the result of the CM noise
can be seen in the bearing currents, which are potentially
threatening to the health of the machine. Thus, eliminating this
noise is beneficial; however, a large challenge is modelling
and predicting the EMI of a physical system.

Vpp + Vnn
2

Lr

Rm

CM EMI EMISSION, MODELING, AND MEASUREMENT

Vcm =

Ls

Rs

Phase A

GaN Motor Drive Characteristics

The inverter used is a 3 phase, two level VSI, utilizing

sine-PWM. The devices used in the study are the EPC2010
GaN HEMT, of which EPC publishes a model for simulation
purposes. As previously mentioned, GaN devices have many
inherent electrical benefits, such as increased switching speed
capability due to their fast turn-on and turn-off functionality.
However, these increased turn-on and turn-off times increase
the di/dt and dv/dt transients, which contribute to the CM EMI
noise generation. Because of this, special consideration needs
to be paid to the CM EMI noise of motor drives utilizing GaN
devices operating at 200 kHz, as presented in this study.

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In order to most accurately derive valid values of the CM

EMI filter topologies to compare, it is important to understand
how much attenuation is needed. With the measurements of
the induction machine presented earlier, as well as the addition
of common parasitics modeled in the previous section, a
baseline simulation was performed to see how much CM noise
was inherent to the system. In order to better understand the
severity of the CM noise with the GaN motor drive, the

measured noise is compared to an EMI common mode

emission standard, CISPR Class B, which is commonly used
for industrial and commercial drives. This result is shown in
Figure 4.
As shown in Fig. 4, the CM noise without a filter exceeds
the acceptable limit by greater than 60 dBV towards the
lower end of the spectrum, namely near the first few

GaN Inverter DM Filter CM Filter

LISN
50H
8F

Ldc_cm

250nF

+
5

1k

50

Vpp

Vbus

Cdc

+
5

1k

50

8F
250nF

Ldc_cm

Lac_cm

Cdm
Lac_dm

Lac_cm

Cdm

Vnn

Lac_dm

Lac_dm

Induction
Motor

Lac_cm

Cdm

ig

50H

ig

Ground Plane
(a)

LISN

GaN Inverter

DC CM Filter

DM Filter CM Filter

50H
8F

Ldc_cm

250nF

+
5

1k

50

Ccm

Vpp

Vbus

Cdc

+
5

1k

50

Vnn

8F
250nF

Ldc_cm

Ccm

Lac_dm

Lac_cm

Cdm
Lac_dm

Lac_cm

Cdm
Lac_dm

Induction
Motor

Lac_cm

Cdm
ig

50H

ig

Ground Plane
(b)

LISN

GaN Inverter

DC CM Filter

CM and DM Filter

50H
8F

Ldc_cm

250nF

+
5

1k

50

Ccm

Vpp

Vbus

Cdc

1k

50

Lac_cm

Lac_dm

Cdm
Lac_cm

Lac_dm

Cdm
Lac_cm

Vnn

250nF

Lac_dm

+
8F

D
G

Ldc_cm

Ccm

50H

Cdm

Rdm

ig

Ground Plane
(c)
Figure 3. Configuration of various EMI filter topologies. (a) Filter 1 (b) Filter 2 and (c) Filter 3.

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Induction
Motor

ig

harmonics of the switching frequency. In this frequency range

(<2 MHz), the noise must be greatly attenuated.
B. Filter Topology 1
The first filter topology used to do this is shown in the red
dashed lines of Fig. 3(a). These common mode inductors
(chokes) act like a low pass filter at the inputs (DC side) and
outputs (AC side), attempting to suppress the high frequency
noise. The values chosen (1.2 mH for the DC side and 2.7 mH
for the AC side) are in the range commonly used in industry.
They serve as very low impedance (~2 ) in the range of
operating frequency (in this study a few hundred of Hz), but
are high impedance (>k) in the frequency range of needed
attenuation.
C. Filter Topology 2
While Filter 1 can be effective, if further attenuation is
needed, increasing the inductance values would be necessary.
This is not ideal, not only because it might begin to have a
noticeable effect at the power frequency, but also because the
increased inductor size becomes too large. To counter this,
Filter 2 is applied (Fig. 3(b)). The main difference between
this filter and the previous filter is the addition of the small
capacitors on the input side between the dc power lines and
the ground plane.
The purpose of this capacitor is to enhance the attenuation
of the filter at a more specific frequency, generally in the
region of the switching frequency where reduction of noise is
most needed. Thus, the value of this capacitor (100 nF) is
selected to resonate with the previous input side inductor,
providing higher impedances around the switching frequency.
D. Filter Topology 3
As mentioned in the introduction, a main concern for CM
EMI noise in machine drives is the induced bearing currents,
which are closely related to the ground currents. While the

previous two filters attenuate the CM voltage noise, it is also

often important to reduce the circulating ground current.
There are two main differences between Filter 2 and
Filter 3 shown in Figure 3(c): (1) The capacitors previously
associated with the DM Filter are moved and placed after the
CM inductor, and (2) the midpoint of the two common mode
capacitors on the DC side is no longer connected to the ground
plane, but instead, is connected to the neutral point of the AC
output CM and DM filter capacitor through a small damping
resistor. This connection provides a lower impedance path of
the CM current to return to the input side rather than going
through the machine and ground. While this may have a small
adverse effect on the attenuation of the voltage noise, the main
benefit is the potential bearing current being shunted away
from the machine. The DM filter capabilities will also slightly
change in this configuration; however, if designed well and
with plenty of margin, it will not compromise the whole
converter system.
IV.

COMPARISON OF FILTERS

As mentioned, there are multiple perspectives with which

to view the effectiveness of a filter. This section considers
three different aspects: attenuation, ground current, and
efficiency.
A. Attenuation
As shown in Fig. 4 and 5(a), the measurement of the CM
EMI noise without a filter shows that the noise exceeds the
acceptable limit by greater than 60 dBV. Filter 1 attempts to
attenuate the noise, but it is not completely effective,
attenuating the CM noise by only 30 dBV at the peak of the
spectrum. Fig. 5(b) shows the CM noise exceeds the limits for
the first 7 harmonics of the switching speed, an improvement,
but not adequate.
Filter 2, Fig 5(c), is shown to have the most attenuation,
providing at least 10 dBV of margin in the entire range of
interest. The addition of the small capacitor has had a great
impact as expected and prevented the need to further increase
the CM choke size.
Filter 3, Fig. 5(d), attenuates the CM noise below the limit
in the entire range, with a few dBV of margin, although less
than Filter 2 at the lower end of the spectrum. While having a
higher margin is generally preferred, there are a few other
factors to consider before determining what type of CM EMI
filter is the best solution for a given application.
B. Ground Current

Figure 4. Unfiltered CM voltage noise spectrum with

CISPR Class B limits.

Because the focus of this study is with respect to an

electric motor drive application, reduction of the ground
current is greatly emphasized. A reduction in ground current
has the potential to lead to increased lifetime and reliability of
the motor drive system.
Figure 6 and Table II both show the comparison of the
filters with respect to the measured ground current. As shown,

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(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Figure 5. Common mode EMI voltage Spectra with and without filters. (a) With no filter. (b) With Filter 1, (c) with Filter 2,
and (d) with Filter 3. Filter 2 has best attenuation, but benefits of Filter 3 are shown in Figure 6.

(a)

(b)

Figure 6. Ground Currents. (a) No filter (b) Comparison of the ground currents and filters. Clearly Filter 3 has a much more
desirable ground current than Filter 2.

all filters greatly reduce the ground current relative to the pre-

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all filters greatly reduce the ground current relative to the prefiltered scenario. Because Filter 1 was shown to not meet the
attenuation requirements, it can be eliminated from further
discussion when deciding which filter is most appropriate., is
The tradeoff between Filter 2 and Filter 3, however, is
shown in Fig. 6(b) and Table II, as the ground current is even
worse than that of Filter 1, increasing from 4.6 mA 14.4 mA.
However, Filter 3 has the added benefit of greatly reducing the
ground current to 0.26 mA. This result is as expected, as some
of the CM noise current is shunted away from the machine.
Depending on the overall system, this filter topology may be
more beneficial; however, a comparison must be made to
ensure the power capability of the machine and the efficiency
of the machine are not compromised by the addition of the
filters.
TABLE II. GROUND CURRENT RMS VALUES.
Filter Type

Ground Current (mArms)

No Filter

231.55000

Filter 1

4.62510

Filter 2

14.40300

Filter 3

0.25678

of the machine.
Figure 7 plots the output power of each filter topology and
the loss of the GaN switching devices, both normalized to the
un-filtered performance. As can be seen, none of the filters
have a noticeable impact on either output power or efficiency.
It should be noted that these are also dependent on the
operating and load conditions, but similar trends will emerge.
As a result, the attenuation and ground current circulation are
the critical factors in the selection the filters for this study.
V.

CONCLUSION

It has been shown that different filters have a variety of

tradeoffs. The type of tradeoff favoring Filter 3 can be
beneficial as reduced ground current circulating in the motor
may result in extended lifetime and reliability. If efficiency is
not a critical deciding point, i.e. if the efficiency is the same
for all filters as in this case, Filter 3 may be the filter selected
for this application. However, it is still important to sweep this
analysis over the range of operating conditions to ensure that
the margin presented for each filter holds. If it does not,
further tuning of the filter values would be required.
Thus, this paper shows the impact of the various EMI
filters needed for a GaN HEMT converter on the CM EMI
emissions in a motor drive system. The various advantages
and disadvantages of different filter topologies are compared,
describing the techniques and considerations crucial to the
design of an EMI filter early in the product development life
cycle.
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Figure 7. Output power and efficiency by filter.

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