Short-Circuit Performance Analysis of Commercial 1.7 kV SiC MOSFETs Under Varying Electrical Stress
The short-circuit (SC) robustness of SiC MOSFETs is critical for high-power applications, yet 1.2 kV devices often struggle to meet the industry-standard SC withstand time (SCWT) under practical operating conditions. Despite growing interest in higher voltage classes, no prior study has systematical...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Micromachines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/1/102 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832587963531264000 |
|---|---|
| author | Shahid Makhdoom Na Ren Ce Wang Yiding Wu Hongyi Xu Jiakun Wang Kuang Sheng |
| author_facet | Shahid Makhdoom Na Ren Ce Wang Yiding Wu Hongyi Xu Jiakun Wang Kuang Sheng |
| author_sort | Shahid Makhdoom |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The short-circuit (SC) robustness of SiC MOSFETs is critical for high-power applications, yet 1.2 kV devices often struggle to meet the industry-standard SC withstand time (SCWT) under practical operating conditions. Despite growing interest in higher voltage classes, no prior study has systematically evaluated the SC performance of 1.7 kV SiC MOSFETs. This study provides the first comprehensive evaluation of commercially available 1.7 kV SiC MOSFETs, analyzing their SC performance under varying electrical stress conditions. Results indicate a clear trade-off between SC withstand time (SCWT) and drain-source voltage (V<sub>DS</sub>), with SCWT decreasing from 32 µs at 400 V to 4 µs at 1100 V. Under 600 V, a condition representative of practical use cases in many high-voltage applications, the devices achieved an SCWT of 12 µs, exceeding the industry-standard 10 µs benchmark—a threshold often unmet by 1.2 kV devices under similar conditions. Failure analysis revealed gate dielectric breakdown as the dominant failure mode at V<sub>DS</sub> ≤ 600 V, while thermal runaway was observed at higher voltages (V<sub>DS</sub> = 800 V and 1100 V). These findings underscore the critical importance of robust gate drive designs and effective thermal management. By surpassing the shortcomings of lower voltage classes, 1.7 kV SiC MOSFETs can be a more reliable, and efficient choice for operating at higher voltages in next-generation power systems. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f5fc2c5c701d4b3b8b5e33c2989bd668 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2072-666X |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Micromachines |
| spelling | doaj-art-f5fc2c5c701d4b3b8b5e33c2989bd6682025-01-24T13:42:11ZengMDPI AGMicromachines2072-666X2025-01-0116110210.3390/mi16010102Short-Circuit Performance Analysis of Commercial 1.7 kV SiC MOSFETs Under Varying Electrical StressShahid Makhdoom0Na Ren1Ce Wang2Yiding Wu3Hongyi Xu4Jiakun Wang5Kuang Sheng6College of Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaCollege of Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaCollege of Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaCollege of Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaZJU-Hangzhou Global Scientific and Technological Innovation Center, Hangzhou 311200, ChinaHangzhou Silicon Magic Semiconductor Technology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou 310052, ChinaCollege of Electrical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, ChinaThe short-circuit (SC) robustness of SiC MOSFETs is critical for high-power applications, yet 1.2 kV devices often struggle to meet the industry-standard SC withstand time (SCWT) under practical operating conditions. Despite growing interest in higher voltage classes, no prior study has systematically evaluated the SC performance of 1.7 kV SiC MOSFETs. This study provides the first comprehensive evaluation of commercially available 1.7 kV SiC MOSFETs, analyzing their SC performance under varying electrical stress conditions. Results indicate a clear trade-off between SC withstand time (SCWT) and drain-source voltage (V<sub>DS</sub>), with SCWT decreasing from 32 µs at 400 V to 4 µs at 1100 V. Under 600 V, a condition representative of practical use cases in many high-voltage applications, the devices achieved an SCWT of 12 µs, exceeding the industry-standard 10 µs benchmark—a threshold often unmet by 1.2 kV devices under similar conditions. Failure analysis revealed gate dielectric breakdown as the dominant failure mode at V<sub>DS</sub> ≤ 600 V, while thermal runaway was observed at higher voltages (V<sub>DS</sub> = 800 V and 1100 V). These findings underscore the critical importance of robust gate drive designs and effective thermal management. By surpassing the shortcomings of lower voltage classes, 1.7 kV SiC MOSFETs can be a more reliable, and efficient choice for operating at higher voltages in next-generation power systems.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/1/102failure mechanismsshort-circuit (SC) robustnesssilicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETsreliability1.7 kV SiC MOSFET1.2 kV SiC MOSFET |
| spellingShingle | Shahid Makhdoom Na Ren Ce Wang Yiding Wu Hongyi Xu Jiakun Wang Kuang Sheng Short-Circuit Performance Analysis of Commercial 1.7 kV SiC MOSFETs Under Varying Electrical Stress Micromachines failure mechanisms short-circuit (SC) robustness silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs reliability 1.7 kV SiC MOSFET 1.2 kV SiC MOSFET |
| title | Short-Circuit Performance Analysis of Commercial 1.7 kV SiC MOSFETs Under Varying Electrical Stress |
| title_full | Short-Circuit Performance Analysis of Commercial 1.7 kV SiC MOSFETs Under Varying Electrical Stress |
| title_fullStr | Short-Circuit Performance Analysis of Commercial 1.7 kV SiC MOSFETs Under Varying Electrical Stress |
| title_full_unstemmed | Short-Circuit Performance Analysis of Commercial 1.7 kV SiC MOSFETs Under Varying Electrical Stress |
| title_short | Short-Circuit Performance Analysis of Commercial 1.7 kV SiC MOSFETs Under Varying Electrical Stress |
| title_sort | short circuit performance analysis of commercial 1 7 kv sic mosfets under varying electrical stress |
| topic | failure mechanisms short-circuit (SC) robustness silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs reliability 1.7 kV SiC MOSFET 1.2 kV SiC MOSFET |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-666X/16/1/102 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT shahidmakhdoom shortcircuitperformanceanalysisofcommercial17kvsicmosfetsundervaryingelectricalstress AT naren shortcircuitperformanceanalysisofcommercial17kvsicmosfetsundervaryingelectricalstress AT cewang shortcircuitperformanceanalysisofcommercial17kvsicmosfetsundervaryingelectricalstress AT yidingwu shortcircuitperformanceanalysisofcommercial17kvsicmosfetsundervaryingelectricalstress AT hongyixu shortcircuitperformanceanalysisofcommercial17kvsicmosfetsundervaryingelectricalstress AT jiakunwang shortcircuitperformanceanalysisofcommercial17kvsicmosfetsundervaryingelectricalstress AT kuangsheng shortcircuitperformanceanalysisofcommercial17kvsicmosfetsundervaryingelectricalstress |