Evaluation and comparison of 1200-V/285-A silicon carbide half-bridge MOSFET modules

Silicon Carbide (4H-SiC) is a state-of-the-art solution for increasing the energy density of pulsed power and power electronics. High power SiC MOSFET modules have only recently become commercially available; for widespread acceptance further device characterization and reliability testing is necessary. The purpose of this work is to establish and compare device characteristics for two SiC power modules. Of the two modules tested, one contained Cree die and the other Rohm die. The device characteristics presented for the two modules are switching losses (E_ON & E_OFF) and on-state resistance (R_DS(ON)). E_ON, E_OFF, and R_DS(ON) were measured at 25°C and 125°C. The R_DS(ON) of the two modules was determined to be approximately equal; however, the SiC module containing the Cree die yielded significantly lower turn-on and turn-off switching losses. The measurements presented in this work demonstrate SiC power modules are a leading solution for high energy density applications.