Characterization and comparison of 1.2 kV SiC power semiconductor devices

This paper seeks to provide insight into state-of-the-art 1.2 kV Silicon Carbide (SiC) power semiconductor devices, including the MOSFET, BJT, SJT, and normally-on and normally-off JFET. Both commercial and sample devices from the semiconductor industry´s well-known manufacturers; namely Cree, GE, ROHM, Fairchild, GeneSiC, Infineon, and SemiSouth, are evaluated in this study. To carry out this work, static characterization of each device is performed under increasing temperatures (25-200 °C). Dynamic characterization is also conducted through double-pulse tests. Accordingly, the paper describes the experimental setup used and the different measurements conducted, which comprise: threshold voltage, current gain, specific on-resistance, and the turn on and turn off switching energies. For the latter, the driving method used for each device is described in detail. Furthermore, for the devices that require on-state dc currents, driver losses are also taken into consideration. Key trends and observations are reported in an unbiased manner throughout the paper and summarized in the conclusion.