Abstract

Increased electrification of traditionally hydraulic and pneumatic functions on aircrafts has put power electronics at the heart of modern aviation. Aircraft electrical power systems have traditionally operated at 115 V AC and 28 V DC with a constant speed generator and transformer rectifier units converting jet engine power into electrical power. However, due to the increasing trend towards the More Electric Aircraft (MEA), 270 V DC systems are likely in the future. This calls into question, the power semiconductor device technology that enables the on-board power converters needed for electro-mechanical actuation as well as solid-state circuit breakers for system protection. Silicon IGBTs have been the work-horse of power electronics, but as switching speeds increase due to the need for high frequency operation, the bipolar nature of IGBT tail currents become a limiting factor for improved energy conversion efficiency. A number of unipolar FET technologies, including SiC trench MOSFETs, SiC planar MOSFETs, silicon super-junction MOSFETs and SiC JFETs in cascode with a low voltage Si MOSFET, have become commercialized at around 650 V. However, reliability and robustness, especially against single event burn-out and/or single event gate rupture is critical. This paper experimentally investigates the performance of the listed FET devices under Unclamped Inductive Switching and Bias Temperature Instability/gate oxide stress tests.

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