Multilevel Inverter Topology And Modulation Techniques A Review

Abstract: The requirement of high-voltage, high-power converters capable of producing high-quality waveforms forced the development of power switching and reduced switching frequency devices and equipments. Multilevel inverters proved itself as a vital utility with regard to semiconductor power switch voltage limit barriers. Presently research is ongoing to improve their capabilities further through optimized control techniques, and to minimize both component count and manufacturing cost. Owing to voltage limits power switches are typically cascaded in series and configured as multilevel structures. The outputs thus obtained are superior in quality resulting in reduced filter and overall system size requirement. Switching losses are greatly reduced, with lower switching frequency operation while mentaining high-power quality.

Keywords: Cascaded H-bridge, cascaded neutral-point, capacitor clamped inverter, five-level inverter, multicarrier phase-shifted pulse-width modulation (MCPS-PWM), multilevel inverter (MLI), transistor-clamped inverter