Recent Advancements in Wide Band Semiconductors (SiC and GaN) Technology for Future Devices

The role of power device technology in the electric vehicle powertrain

“…Metallization ‐ Figure 16②a: these faults arise due to the electromigration of the material (usually aluminum) in the direction of current flow, due to high electric fields; alloy breakdown, due to electrical overvoltage caused by high currents; metal corrosion and wear caused by welding; and improper deposition, and mounding and cracking of the metal at the contact surfaces 263,264 Semiconductor ‐ Figure 16②b: in addition to stress‐related failures when operating above the maximum ratings of current, voltage, and temperature, the main causes of failure of the semiconductor device can be diffusion problems during its manufacturing process, defects in the semiconductor crystal, or the presence of impurities and contaminants in the material 265,266 . Moreover, there are other problems related to the formation of semiconductor junctions, doping, and temperature, for example, avalanche breakdown and latch‐up effects 267‐269 .…”

“…Semiconductor -Figure 16②b: in addition to stressrelated failures when operating above the maximum ratings of current, voltage, and temperature, the main causes of failure of the semiconductor device can be diffusion problems during its manufacturing process, defects in the semiconductor crystal, or the presence of impurities and contaminants in the material. 265,266 Moreover, there are other problems related to the formation of semiconductor junctions, doping, and temperature, for example, avalanche breakdown and latch-up effects. [267][268][269] Other aspects should not be overlooked such as high electric fields, transients, gate-oxide degradation, and body diode degradation, which can also cause malfunction and the destruction of discrete devices and power modules.…”

Circuit Breakers in Low- and Medium-Voltage DC Microgrids for Protection against Short-Circuit Electrical Faults: Evolution and Future Challenges

“…In the Ref. [79], the formation of Ohmic Contacts in SSCBs was presented. Ohmic contacts are necessary since they ensure the flow of signals and power from the semiconductor to the peripherals.…”

“…[80], it was indicated that CBs based on GaN should ensure much better efficiency with respect to CBs based on SiC because of its higher critical electric field and greater electron mobility. However, GaN also suffers from many manufacturing problems concerning the more advanced SiC technology, such as the insufficiency of high-quality freestanding substrates, which prohibits the advancement of vertical structures in the internal design of transistors [79,82].…”

“…In general terms, trying to put together the most relevant aspects of all papers consulted, SSCBs have, as a future challenge, the reduction of the commutation losses, while simultaneously safely increasing the switching frequency in order to decrease the harmonic frequency currents injected to the system. Two important challenges concerning WBG SSCB which could be of a promissory family for CBs in DCMGs are: (1) the acceleration of the curve of cost reduction of technology [35,94], and (2) overcoming issues of insufficiency of high-quality freestanding substrates for speeding up the advancement of vertical devices [79,82].…”