Comparison of 4.5 kV SiC JBS and Si PiN diodes for 4.5 kV Si IGBT anti-parallel diode applications

A new 60 A, 4.5 kV SiC JBS diode is presented, and its performance is compared to a Si PiN diode used as the antiparallel diode for 4.5 kV Si IGBTs. The I-V, C-V, reverse recovery, and reverse leakage characteristics of both diode types are measured. The devices are also characterized as the anti-parallel diode for a 4.5 kV Si IGBT using a recently developed high-voltage, double-pulse switching test system. The results indicate that SiC JBS diodes reduce IGBT turn-on switching loses by about a factor of three in practical applications. Furthermore, the peak IGBT current at turn-on is typically reduced by a factor of six, resulting in substantially lower IGBT stress. Circuit simulator models for the 4.5 kV SiC JBS and Si PiN diodes are also developed and compared with measurements.