Hybrid Si-IGBT/SiC Rectifier Co-Packs and SiC JBS Rectifiers Offering Superior Surge Current Capability and Reduced Power Losses

Abstract:

Novel device design and process innovations made at GeneSiC on SiC JBS rectifiers result in a significant increase in surge current capability with a 33% decrease in power dissipation at 10x rated current. On the 1200 V-class rectifiers, a clear signature of avalanche-limited breakdown with ultra-low leakage currents is observed at temperatures as high as 240 °C. Almost temperature independent Schottky barrier heights of 1.2 eV and ideality factors 2K² (for 4H-SiC) is directly extracted from the forward I-V characteristics. When compared with an off-the-shelf all-Si IGBT power co-pack, GeneSiC’s GA100XCP12-227 co-pack offers 88% and 47% reduction at 125 °C in the IGBT and free-wheeling diode switching energy losses, respectively. This results in an overall switching loss reduction of about 28% as compared to its silicon counterpart.