Design considerations and performance evaluation of 1200 V, 100 a SiC MOSFET based converter for high power density application

Abstract

Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFET is capable of achieving better efficiency, power density and reliability of power converters due to its low on-state resistance, high temperature operation capability and lower switching losses compared to silicon (Si) IGBT. Operation of power converters at higher switching frequency using SiC devices allows reduction in filter size and hence improves the power to weight ratio of the converter. This paper presents switching characterization of 1200 V, 100 A SiC MOSFET module and compares efficiency of a Two Level Voltage Source Converter (2L-VSC) using SiC MOSFETs and Si IGBTs. Also, various design considerations of the 1200 V, 100 A SiC MOSFET based 2L-VSC including gate drive design, bus bar packaging and thermal management have been elaborated. The designed and developed 2L-VSC is operated to supply 35 kVA load at 20 kHz switching frequency with DC bus voltage at 800 V and the experimental results are presented.