Title :
SiC power diodes provide breakthrough performance for a wide range of applications
Author :
Hefner, Allen R., Jr. ; Singh, Ranbir ; Lai, Jih-Sheng ; Berning, David W. ; Bouché, Sébastien ; Chapuy, Christophe
Author_Institution :
Div. of Semicond. Electron., Nat. Inst. of Stand. & Technol., Gaithersburg, MD, USA
fDate :
3/1/2001 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
The electrical performance of silicon carbide (SiC) power diodes is evaluated and compared to that of commercially available silicon (Si) diodes in the voltage range from 600 V through 5000 V. The comparisons include the on-state characteristics, the reverse recovery characteristics, and power converter efficiency and electromagnetic interference (EMI). It is shown that a newly developed 1500-V SiC merged PiN Schottky (MPS) diode has significant performance advantages over Si diodes optimized for various voltages in the range of 600 V through 1500 V. It is also shown that a newly developed 5000 V SiC PiN diode has significant performance advantages over Si diodes optimized for various voltages in the range of 2000 V through 5000 V. In a test case power converter, replacing the best 600 V Si diodes available with the 1500 V SiC MPS diode results in an increase of power supply efficiency from 82% to 88% for switching at 186 kHz, and a reduction in EMI emissions
Keywords :
electromagnetic interference; interference suppression; power semiconductor diodes; rectifying circuits; semiconductor materials; silicon compounds; 186 kHz; 600 to 5000 V; 88 percent; EMI; EMI emissions reduction; SiC; SiC merged PiN Schottky diode; SiC power diodes; SiC rectifier; breakthrough performance; electromagnetic interference; fast recovery rectifier; on-state characteristics; power converter efficiency; power supply efficiency increase; reverse recovery characteristics; silicon carbide power diodes; test case power converter; Breakdown voltage; Doping; Electric breakdown; Electromagnetic interference; NIST; Rectifiers; Schottky diodes; Semiconductor diodes; Silicon carbide; Temperature;
Journal_Title :
Power Electronics, IEEE Transactions on
