Progress in Silicon Carbide Power Devices

SiC materials and device technology has entered a new era with the commercialization and acceptance of 600 V/10 A and 1200 V/10 A Schottky Barrier Diodes (SBDs) in the marketplace. These diodes are finding applications in the Power Factor Correction (PFC) stage of Switch Mode Power Supplies (SMPS). SiC power MOSFETs with ratings of 800-1200 V up to 10 A will soon be commercially available. The next step is to integrate the SiC MOSFET and Schottky diodes in a power module for PFC and motor control applications. For high temperature applications, greater than 200°C, a bipolar switch such as a SiC BJT offers superior performance over the MOSFETs. The lack of gate oxide in the BJT offers better reliability at such extreme temperatures, in addition to the lowest combined switching and conduction losses.