Performance evaluation of custom-made 1.2-kV 100-A silicon carbide half-bridge module in three-phase grid connected PWM rectifier

This paper studies experimentally the benefits of silicon carbide based power semiconductor technology in a low-voltage grid connected three-phase three-wire pulse width modulated rectifier. The power semiconductor module used in the study is a custom-made 1.2-kV 100-A fully silicon carbide based half-bridge type module designed for fast switching speeds and high temperature operation. The experimental tests are carried out with a 40-kVA prototype system built in the frame of a commercial low-voltage motor drive unit. In addition, the impact of the high switching speeds enabled by the silicon carbide based semiconductor devices on conductive electromagnetic emissions are also investigated. The results show that the conversion efficiency can be significantly improved with silicon carbide compared to the state-of-the-art silicon based semiconductor technology. As a drawback, the faster switching speeds increase the conductive electromagnetic emissions to some extent.