A new design of the low-voltage switching cell (LVSC) prototype, built around a 40 V GaN HEMT has been successfully designed, implemented, and tested. In this new version, all digital processing circuitry has been integrated into one single programmable chip, significantly reducing the board space and simplifying the tuning of the SC control circuitry. The LVSC includes advanced functionalities such as embedded switching-cell voltage, current, and temperature measurements, as well as automatic fault-detection and isolation. All functionalities have been experimentally verified at UPC laboratories.

The switching cell has been designed to be a basic module to build scalable and highly-power-dense power converters for electric vehicles operating at low voltage levels, such as the dc-dc converter interfacing the traction battery with the service battery.
Current design efforts are focused on minimizing the power-loop parasitic inductance of converter legs configured with these LVSCs, since this is a critical parameter affecting switching voltage spikes and switching losses.