Silicon Carbide Emitter Turn-Off Thyristor

Journal Article · Tue Jul 01 00:00:00 EDT 2008 · International Journal of Power Management Electronics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1155/2008/891027· OSTI ID:1198183

Wang, Jun ^[1]; Wang, Gangyao ^[1]; Li, Jun ^[1]; Huang, Alex Q. ^[1]; Melcher, Jerry ^[2]; Atcitty, Stan ^[3]

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1. Semiconductor Power Electronics Center (SPEC), Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
2. Solitronics LLC, Cary, NC 27518, USA
3. Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM 87185, USA

A novel MOS-controlled SiC thyristor device, the SiC emitter turn-off thyristor (ETO) is a promising technology for future high-voltage switching applications because it integrates the excellent current conduction capability of a SiC thyristor with a simple MOS-control interface. Through unity-gain turn-off, the SiC ETO also achieves excellent Safe Operation Area (SOA) and faster switching speeds than silicon ETOs. The world's first 4.5-kV SiC ETO prototype shows a forward voltage drop of 4.26 V at 26.5  $\text{A}/{\text{cm}}^2$ current density at room and elevated temperatures. Tested in an inductive circuit with a 2.5 kV DC link voltage and a 9.56-A load current, the SiC ETO shows a fast turn-off time of 1.63 microseconds and a low 9.88 mJ turn-off energy. The low switching loss indicates that the SiC ETO could operate at about 4 kHz if 100  $\text{W}/{\text{cm}}^2$ conduction and the 100  $\text{W}/{\text{cm}}^2$ turn-off losses can be removed by the thermal management system. This frequency capability is about 4 times higher than 4.5-kV-class silicon power devices. The preliminary demonstration shows that the SiC ETO is a promising candidate for high-frequency, high-voltage power conversion applications, and additional developments to optimize the device for higher voltage (>5 kV) and higher frequency (10 kHz) are needed.

• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
• Grant/Contract Number: AC04-94AL85000
• OSTI ID: 1198183
• Journal Information: International Journal of Power Management Electronics, Journal Name: International Journal of Power Management Electronics Vol. 2008; ISSN 1687-6679
• Publisher: Hindawi Publishing Corporation
• Country of Publication: Country unknown/Code not available
• Language: English