A Linear Model for Characterizing Transient Behaviour in Wide Bandgap Semiconductor-based Switching Circuits

Abstract

This paper presents a linear model for characterizing transient behavior in power conversion circuits that use wide bandgap semiconductors. It details analytical and experimental characterization of the circuit‐level transient phenomena affecting the performance of wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors. Specifically observed behaviors including voltage overshoot, ringing, and false turn‐on are analyzed using equivalent linear circuit models supplemented with experimental characterization. The effect that the parasitic device capacitances have on each of these transient events is also investigated. In order for WBG semiconductor devices to deliver their full performance potential of significantly enhancing next generation power electronic systems, the aforementioned transient characteristics must be eliminated. Due to the agreement between the models’ predicted results and experimental waveforms, the work presented here lays the foundation for optimizing the transient performance of power conversion circuits using WBG semiconductor devices.