Ultrafast switching superjunction MOSFETs for single phase PFC applications

This paper presents a guide on characterizing state-of-the-art silicon superjunction (SJ) devices in the 600V range for single phase power factor correction (PFC) applications. The characterization procedure is based on a minimally inductive double pulse tester (DPT) with a very low intrusive current measurement method, which enables reaching the switching speed limits of these devices. Due to the intrinsic low and nonlinear capacitances in vertical SJ MOSFETs, special attention needs to be paid to the gate drive design to minimize oscillations and limit the maximum at turn off. This paper investigates the latest SJ devices in order to set a reference for future research on improvement over silicon (Si) attained with the introduction of wide bandgap devices in single phase PFC applications. The obtained results show that the latest generation of SJ devices set a new benchmark for its wide bandgap competitors.