Current status and perspectives of ultrahigh-voltage SiC power devices

Kimoto, Tsunenobu; Yonezawa, Yoshiyuki

doi:10.1016/j.mssp.2017.10.010

Cited by 88 publications

(45 citation statements)

References 111 publications

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“…Simulation studies indicate that these UHV devices may offer a significant reduction of conduction losses R6 , system complexity R5 , control hardware, cables, and fibers (due to a lower amount of SMs per arm) [90]- [92], contributing to a smaller footprint R10 and cost-reduction . However, there are no bipolar SiC transistors on the commercial highpower market today and research is required in various fields, e.g., p-type substrate quality, epitaxial growth with low defect densities and high charge carrier lifetime, and low resistive contacts, to solve and/or circumvent known issues before highvoltage devices become available [93], [94].…”

Section: B High-power Sic Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Evaluation of Voltage Source Converters With Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Devices for High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission

Jacobs

Heinig

Johannesson

et al. 2021

IEEE Trans. Power Electron.

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Recent advancements in silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor technology enable developments in the high-power sector, e.g., high-voltage direct current (HVdc) converters for transmission, where today silicon (Si) devices are state-of-theart. New submodule (SM) topologies for modular multilevel converters (MMCs) offer benefits in combination with these new SiC semiconductors. This paper reviews developments in both fields, SiC power semiconductor devices and SM topologies, and evaluates their combined performance in relation to core requirements for HVdc converters: grid code compliance, reliability, and cost.A detailed comparison of SM topologies regarding their structural properties, design and control complexity, voltage capability, losses, and fault handling is given. Alternatives to state-of-the-art SMs with Si insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are proposed, and several promising design approaches are discussed. Most advantages can be gained from three technology features. Firstly, SM bipolar capability enables dc fault handling and reduced energy storage requirements. Secondly, SM topologies with parallel conduction paths in combination with SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) offer reduced losses. Thirdly, a higher SM voltage enabled by higher blocking voltage of SiC devices results in reduced converter complexity. For the latter, ultra-high-voltage (UHV) bipolar devices, such as SiC IGBTs and SiC gate turn-off thyristors (GTOs), are envisioned. Index Terms-HVdc transmission, modular multilevel converter, power semiconductor devices, silicon carbide, submodules. I. INTRODUCTIONH VDC transmission technology requires integration into the existing alternating current (ac) grid. The conversion is performed via high-power converters. The modular multilevel converter (MMC) is a versatile and flexible topology with several options for optimization. MMCs have been intensively investigated since the early 2000's. It was identified, that modularity, scalability, built-in redundancy, and harmonic performance are advantageous for meeting widely varying requirements in grid applications. Compared to previous voltage source converters (VSC), the need for bulky harmonic filters is Keijo Jacobs

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Section: B High-power Sic Devicesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparative Evaluation of Voltage Source Converters With Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Devices for High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission

Jacobs

Heinig

Johannesson

et al. 2021

IEEE Trans. Power Electron.

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“…SiC, a wide band gap (WBG) material with superior material, electrical properties [1], and capacity for thermal native oxide (SiO 2 ) growth, is widely expected to dominate high voltage (> 800 V) applications in the future [2]. Research in device design and fabrication of SiC-based devices for high power application has been done extensively to increase the breakdown voltage and to decrease the specific on-resistance ( [2], [3]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stress Engineering for Drive Current Enhancement in Silicon Carbide (SiC) Power MOSFETs

Nayak

Lodha

Ganguly

2021

IEEE J. Electron Devices Soc.

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The poor interface quality of the Silicon Carbide/oxide (SiC/SiO 2 ) interface severely degrades the electron surface channel mobility in SiC-based power devices. Based on transfer characteristic simulations (with a deck calibrated to experimental data), this work predicts improved mobility with stress engineering, a well-established technique for performance enhancement in low power silicon (Si) transistor technology. Process simulation of Si and SiC-based devices with Silicon Nitride (Si 3 N 4 ) stressor layer has been carried out to estimate the stress generated in the channel. SiC D-MOSFET We have also computed the effect of varying stress magnitude, direction, and position in the device.

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“…To address this problem, wide band gap materials such as GaN, diamond, and 4H-SiC have been introduced. Of these wide band gap materials, 4H-SiC is the only one that forms a natural SiO 2 oxide, or can support the growth of an SiO 2 dielectric layer through conventional thermal oxidation [4][5][6]. The strong chemical bond between Si and C results in a wide band gap and high breakdown field [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gate Current and Snapback of 4H-SiC Thyristors on N+ Substrate for Power-Switching Applications

et al. 2020

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High-power switching applications, such as thyristor valves in a high-voltage direct current converter, can use 4H-SiC. The numerical simulation of the 4H-SiC devices requires specialized models and parameters. Here, we present a numerical simulation of the 4H-SiC thyristor on an N+ substrate gate current during the turn-on process. The base-emitter current of the PNP bipolar junction transistor (BJT) flow by adjusting the gate potential. This current eventually activated a regenerative action of the thyristor. The increase of the gate current from P+ anode to N+ gate also decreased the snapback voltage and forward voltage drop (Vf). When the doping concentration of the P-drift region increased, Vf decreased due to the reduced resistance of a low P-drift doping. An increase in the P buffer doping concentration increased Vf owing to enhanced recombination at the base of the NPN BJT. There is a tradeoff between the breakdown voltage and forward characteristics. The breakdown voltage is increased with a decrease in concentration, and an increase in drift layer thickness occurs due to the extended depletion region and reduced peak electric field.

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Current status and perspectives of ultrahigh-voltage SiC power devices

Cited by 88 publications

References 111 publications

Comparative Evaluation of Voltage Source Converters With Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Devices for High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission

Comparative Evaluation of Voltage Source Converters With Silicon Carbide Semiconductor Devices for High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission

Stress Engineering for Drive Current Enhancement in Silicon Carbide (SiC) Power MOSFETs

Gate Current and Snapback of 4H-SiC Thyristors on N+ Substrate for Power-Switching Applications

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