GE MW SiC PV inverter development

Silicon Carbide (SiC) power devices can operate at higher temperatures, higher voltages and higher switching frequencies compared to existing silicon devices, resulting in greater power converter efficiency, smaller size and improved bandwidth. The SiC power device development at GE was launched in 2005 and is now starting transition from pilot production to high volume manufacturing. This talk will highlight GE's ongoing efforts to develop MW class PV inverter with best-in-class CEC efficiency approach 99%. The challenge of using SiC in those power applications is that the emphasis on reliability, ruggedness and cost is significantly higher. The extensive internal and external reliability testing of GE SiC MOSFETs has demonstrated reliability comparable to mature silicon power devices. In addition, extensive stress testing has mapped-out the device's safe operating area, such as: avalanche capability, short circuit ruggedness, body diode stability, and terrestrial cosmic radiation hardness.