Physics-based modeling and characterization for silicon carbide power diodes

Abstract

Silicon carbide Schottky, merged PiN Schottky (MPS), and PiN diode technologies are modeled for on-state and reverse recovery conditions. The on-state operation of the PiN diode is modeled through four unique regimes of operation, including current densities resulting in emitter recombination, which results in a stored charge plateau during reverse recovery of SiC PiN diodes. An expression for the moving boundary redistribution capacitance is developed to accurately describe the reverse recovery process in PiN diodes. Furthermore, the extraction of stored charge and junction capacitance from transient reverse recovery measurements is also demonstrated for all diode technologies. The on-state operation of Schottky and merged PiN Schottky diodes is described and a method to model the surge current in MPS diodes is discussed. The performance of the model is demonstrated for a commercially available 600 V, 4 A Schottky diode and a 10 kV, 7.5 A PiN diode. Measurements demonstrating the extraction of model parameters and model validation results are included.