Development of SiC multi-chip module for pulse switching at 10 kV, 100 kA

The Army Research Laboratory collaborated with Silicon Power Corporation to package sixteen parallel 9 kV, 1.0 cm² silicon carbide (SiC) super gate turn-off thyristors (SGTOs) in a single 82 cm³ module using Silicon Power´s materials and techniques from silicon packaging. The peak current switched was 84 kA for a 43-μs pulse width as measured at half-maximum. The rising slope calculated from 10-90% of the peak was 10 kA/μs, and the action under the curve was 2.6 × 10⁵ A²s. Results encouraged further development of larger-area devices with higher 15 kV blocking in order to fully utilize the package area and create a single-layer >10 kV pulse switch. Challenges in the development of this SiC SGTO module include optimizing SiC material uniformity and device yield, controlling turn-on of sixteen parallel devices, and maximizing high-voltage blocking of the complete package.