Title :
Study of SiC vertical JFET behavior during unclamped inductive switching
Author :
Xueqing Li ; Bhalla, Anup ; Alexandrov, P. ; Fursin, L.
Author_Institution :
United Silicon Carbide, Inc., Monmouth Junction, NJ, USA
Abstract :
Excellent physical and electrical properties of SiC material make SiC JFETs extremely attractive for high power density, high temperature and high frequency power applications. With increased switching speed, a stable operation capability of the devices under unclamped inductive switching (UIS) conditions is critical for the reliable operation of power switching systems. In this work, the behaviors of 1.2kV SiC normally-on vertical JFETs under UIS conditions are investigated by performing UIS tests. A record high energy density of 9,407mJ/cm2 dissipated in the device during UIS is measured. Physics-based mixed-mode electro-thermal device simulations are also performed to predict the maximum device temperatures during UIS and to understand JFET failure modes.
Keywords :
junction gate field effect transistors; mixed analogue-digital integrated circuits; silicon compounds; switches; wide band gap semiconductors; JFET failure modes; SiC; SiC normally-on vertical JFET; UIS; electrical properties; mixed-mode electro-thermal device simulations; physical properties; power density; power switching; switching speed; unclamped inductive switching; voltage 1.2 kV; Inductors; JFETs; Junctions; Logic gates; Silicon carbide; Temperature; Temperature measurement;
Conference_Titel :
Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC), 2014 Twenty-Ninth Annual IEEE
Conference_Location :
Fort Worth, TX
DOI :
10.1109/APEC.2014.6803668
