High Current Medium Voltage Bidirectional Solid State Circuit Breaker using SiC JFET Super Cascode

Mehrotra, Utkarsh; Ballard, Bahji; Hopkins, Douglas C.

doi:10.1109/ecce44975.2020.9236347

Cited by 24 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…As SiC cascode JFETs are gaining popularity in different applications [8][9][10], reliability and robustness studies are fundamental for increasing their adoption. Hence, it has become necessary to understand the failure mode of SiC devices under short circuit (SC) conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulations and Measurements of Failure Modes in SiC Cascode JFETs under Short Circuit Conditions

Agbo

Bashar

et al. 2021

2021 IEEE 22nd Workshop on Control and Modelling of Power Electronics (COMPEL)

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulations and Measurements of Failure Modes in SiC Cascode JFETs under Short Circuit Conditions

Agbo

Bashar

et al. 2021

2021 IEEE 22nd Workshop on Control and Modelling of Power Electronics (COMPEL)

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“…Due to the simple gate drive and superior material properties, Si/SiC Cascode device is popular in power electronics where requiring high voltage, high frequency and high efficiency [15]- [17], such as motor drive, renewable energy systems. In these applications, reliability and robustness of power device will be got more attentions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigation on the Degradation Mechanism of Si/SiC Cascode Device Under Repetitive Short-Circuit Tests

Zhang,

Liu,

Zhou

2024

IEEE Open J. Power Electron.

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The Si/SiC Cascode device has been widely accepted in various applications, however, its reliability issue still remains a major concern and needs to be extensively investigated. In this paper, the degradation of a 750 V Si/SiC Cascode device under repetitive short-circuit (SC) tests is investigated at 400 V DC-link voltage. Static and dynamic characteristics are measured before and after the repetitive SC cycles. As the SC cycle increases, the degradation of the device becomes gradually significant. By linking changes in electrical properties to metallization degradation, the physical mechanism of device degradation has been uncovered in depth. Experimental results show that the continuous stress under repetitive SC cycle leads to an increase in the on-state resistance of Si/SiC Cascode device. Finite-element-model (FEM) simulations show that due to the pad current crowding in the source region, the source Al metallization temperature of the SiC JFET rapidly increases to the melting point and undergoes reconstruction, resulting in a significant increase in the source Al metallization resistance. In addition, it is found by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) that the gate metal aluminum of SiC JFET chip also undergoes reconstruction, which is the reason for the degradation of the dynamic characteristics. The research in this paper will provide useful evidences for device manufactures to design Si/SiC Cascode device with high reliability.

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“…The emerging technology of solid-state power controllers (SSPCs) can provide faster protection times compared to MCB, typically in the range of tens or hundreds of microseconds. Therefore, SSPCs have been considered for MEA applications [15,16]. SSPC offers advantages such as faster response, precise current limiting, and the ability to interrupt fault currents.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design Analysis of SiC-MOSFET Based Bidirectional SSPC for Aircraft High Voltage DC Distribution Network

Khera,

Bozhko,

Wheeler

2023

IEEE Access

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Research on electric power systems (EPSs) for the aviation industry has recently grown significantly due to the need to reduce global CO2 emissions from transportation. To fulfill the power requirements of a more electric aircraft (MEA), DC power distribution has emerged as a potential solution. However, the progress of DC distribution faces significant difficulties related to system protection. Solidstate power controllers (SSPCs) are being considered in these applications due to their ability to provide fast-tripping mechanisms for system protection. Although SSPCs have been successfully implemented in low voltage DC 28V aircraft networks, their application in high voltage systems (270 V, ±270 V, or higher) presents challenges, such as over-voltage and excessive power loss, particularly for high-power applications. This paper focuses on the development of SSPCs for a 270 V DC system with a current rating of 125 A / 250 A. The paper presents designs for over-voltage suppression and thermal management of the SSPCs. The study also includes a comparative analysis of using a different number of SiC MOSFET modules connected in series and parallel and their effect on the cooling requirements and circuit temperature to assess power losses, power density, weight, and cooling requirements for the SSPCs. A prototype of the proposed SSPC has been built for experimental validation. Results show effective overvoltage suppression to 480 V and quick interruption capabilities with trip currents of 250 A and 375A within time intervals of 160 µs and 300 µs, respectively, for line inductance of 105 µH. The circuit withstands energy up to 22.5 J for a breaking current of 375 A.INDEX TERMS Electric power systems, more electric aircraft, solid-state power controllers, thermal design, SiC MOSFET, DC distribution and cooling requirements.

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High Current Medium Voltage Bidirectional Solid State Circuit Breaker using SiC JFET Super Cascode

Cited by 24 publications

References 24 publications

Simulations and Measurements of Failure Modes in SiC Cascode JFETs under Short Circuit Conditions

Simulations and Measurements of Failure Modes in SiC Cascode JFETs under Short Circuit Conditions

Investigation on the Degradation Mechanism of Si/SiC Cascode Device Under Repetitive Short-Circuit Tests

Design Analysis of SiC-MOSFET Based Bidirectional SSPC for Aircraft High Voltage DC Distribution Network

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