Comparative study of the dc/dc boost converter with SiC and Si power devices

Abstract

In this paper, the design and implementation of a 500W dc/dc boost converter using a SiC VJFET and a SiC Schottky Barrier Diode (SBD) is investigated. Firstly, the converter is designed for stepping up a voltage of 48 V to 100 V. It is compared with an identical, more conventional boost converter that employs a Si MOSFET and a Si pn diode. An efficiency of 95.12% has been achieved by the SiC boost converter under nominal conditions. Secondly, the duty cycle is cranked up, as to investigate the maximum voltage step-up that can be attained by the implemented converter. A record-high voltage conversion ratio of 7.65 has been demonstrated, bringing the input of 48 V to 367.4 V, under a duty cycle of 0.88 and an efficiency of 90.91%. The great efficiency and voltage step-up allow for this simple boost converter, to be an affordable and appealing solution for every application where a voltage step-up is required, since it can save up energy, space and weight.