News

8 September 2010

 

SemiSouth demos 1200V, 100A, half-bridge, all-SiC power module

At last week's 8th European Conference on Silicon Carbide and Related Materials Conference (ECSCRM 2010) in Oslo, Norway (29 August – 2 September), SemiSouth Laboratories Inc of Starkville, MS, USA, which designs and manufactures silicon carbide (SiC) technology for high-power, high-efficiency, harsh-environment power management and conversion applications, presented a paper 'Low Switching Energy 1200V Normally-Off SiC VJFET Power Modules' on the development of an all-SiC-based power module for use in high-frequency and high-efficiency applications, presented by lead author Dr David C. Sheridan (director of engineering).  

"As SiC devices migrate to applications above 20–30kW, multi-chip power modules offer the most energy-efficient and practical solution for a wide range of applications such as high-power commercial solar inverters, electric vehicle inverters and electric actuators in aircraft," says co-author Dr Jeffrey B. Casady (co-founder & chief technology officer). "However, the high-speed transients capable in SiC devices at high voltages and currents highlight the need for careful design considerations for gate drive, wiring, layout, and module parasitics," he adds.

The module described uses SemiSouth's high-speed, normally-off 1200V SiC VJFET technology, and demonstrates what is claimed to be record low hard-switching performance (1.25mJ) in an optimized, commercially available (SP1) module configuration. Parasitic oscillations and cross-conduction were shown to be well controlled using optimized internal snubbers and a negative gate voltage rail. Using parallel combinations of enhancement-mode SiC VJFETs (36mm2) and Schottky diodes (23mm2), a total on-resistance of only 10mΩ(2.7mΩ/cm2) was achieved at drain currents of 100A in the commercially available standard module configured as a half-bridge circuit.

"A significant percentage of the targeted customers for SiC power transistors will favor devices integrated into the module form factor presented here for higher power and complexity, saving cost and area in the overall system design," reckons Casady.

See related items:

SemiSouth launches 1700V and 1200V SiC JFETs

Search: SemiSouth SiC VJFET SiC

Visit: www.semisouth.com

Visit: www.ecscrm10.com

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