Thermal simulations of SiC MOSFETs under short-circuit conditions: influence of various simulation parameters

Abstract

The temperature distribution in a Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFET during a destructive short-circuit is simulated using a custom 1D-finite difference model implemented using Matlab. Some of the main assumptions usually put forward in the literature dealing with this kind of simulations are tested in this paper. We show that some of those simplifications (model of the heat source, die top-side boundary conditions, etc.), sometime in-spite of common sense, have a great impact on the simulated temperature.