Wide bandgap semiconductors show superior material properties enabling potential power device operation at higher temperatures, voltages, and switching speeds than current Si technology. As a result, a new generation of power devices is being developed for power converter applications in which traditional Si power devices show limited operation. The use of these new power semiconductor devices will allow both an important improvement in the performance of existing power converters and the development of new power converters, accounting for an increase in the efficiency of the electric energy transformations and a more rational use of the electric energy. At present, SiC and GaN are the more promising semiconductor materials for these new power devices as a consequence of their outstanding properties, commercial availability of starting material, and maturity of their technological processes. This paper presents a review of recent progresses in the development of SiC- and GaN-based power semiconductor devices together with an overall view of the state of the art of this new device generation.

A Survey of Wide Bandgap Power Semiconductor Devices

Overcurrent protection of silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) remains a challenge due to lack of practical knowledge. This paper presents three overcurrent protection methods to improve the reliability and overall cost of SiC MOSFET-based converters. First, a solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) composed primarily by a Si IGBT and a commercial gate driver IC is connected in series with the dc bus to detect and clear overcurrent faults. Second, the desaturation technique using a sensing diode to detect the drain-source voltage under overcurrent faults is implemented as well. Third, a novel active overcurrent protection scheme through dynamic evaluation of fault current level is proposed. The design considerations and potential issues of the protection methods are described and analyzed in detail. A phase-leg configuration-based step-down converter is built to evaluate the performance of the protection schemes under various conditions, considering variation of fault type, decoupling capacitance, protection circuit parameters, etc. Finally, a comparison is made in terms of fault response time, temperature-dependent characteristics, and applications to help designers select a proper protection method.

Design and Performance Evaluation of Overcurrent Protection Schemes for Silicon Carbide (SiC) Power MOSFETs

This work is supported by National Science Foundation (DMR1508144), NSFC (Grant Nos. 61274123, 61474099, 61674127,and 61431014), and micro-fabrication/nano-fabrication platform of ZJU University, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (2016XZZX001-05). This work is also supported by ZJU Cyber Scholarship and Cyrus Tang Center for Sensor Materials and Applications, the Open Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Bioelectronics, Southeast University, the Open Research Fund of State Key Laboratory of Nanodevices and Applications at Chinese Academy of Sciences (No.14ZS01), and Visiting-by-Fellowship of Churchill College at University of Cambridge.

/pdf/a-self-powered-high-performance-graphene-silicon-ultraviolet-3mmbyzem38.pdf

A self-powered high-performance graphene/silicon ultraviolet photodetector with ultra-shallow junction: breaking the limit of silicon?

Insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules are important safety critical components in electrical power systems. Bond wire lift-off, a plastic deformation between wire bond and adjacent layers of a device caused by repeated power/thermal cycles, is the most common failure mechanism in IGBT modules. For the early detection and characterization of such failures, it is important to constantly detect or monitor the health state of IGBT modules, and the state of bond wires in particular. This paper introduces eddy current pulsed thermography (ECPT), a nondestructive evaluation technique, for the state detection and characterization of bond wire lift-off in IGBT modules. After the introduction of the experimental ECPT system, numerical simulation work is reported. The presented simulations are based on the 3-D electromagnetic-thermal coupling finite-element method and analyze transient temperature distribution within the bond wires. This paper illustrates the thermal patterns of bond wires using inductive heating with different wire statuses (lifted-off or well bonded) under two excitation conditions: nonuniform and uniform magnetic field excitations. Experimental results show that uniform excitation of healthy bonding wires, using a Helmholtz coil, provides the same eddy currents on each, while different eddy currents are seen on faulty wires. Both experimental and numerical results show that ECPT can be used for the detection and characterization of bond wires in power semiconductors through the analysis of the transient heating patterns of the wires. The main impact of this paper is that it is the first time electromagnetic induction thermography, so-called ECPT, has been employed on power/electronic devices. Because of its capability of contactless inspection of multiple wires in a single pass, and as such it opens a wide field of investigation in power/electronic devices for failure detection, performance characterization, and health monitoring.

/pdf/state-detection-of-bond-wires-in-igbt-modules-using-eddy-3ot3hktnq3.pdf

State Detection of Bond Wires in IGBT Modules Using Eddy Current Pulsed Thermography

This review article presents a comparative study of different silicon-based ultraviolet (UV) photodetector technologies. After a brief introduction and classification of UV photodetectors, a general comparison is made between the two most popular UV-detector solid-state materials: silicon and wide-band gap semiconductors (diamond, SiC, III-nitrides, and some III-V compounds). Particularly, the advantages of the Si-based technologies are discussed. Further in this paper, the analyses are restricted to silicon UV photodetectors. The theoretically attainable sensitivity in the UV spectral range of Si-based photodetectors is discussed. Different device structures and their working principle are shortly reviewed, followed by a comparison of the state-of-the-art Si-based UV photodetectors. By linking the device structure to the reported optical performance, the advantages and drawbacks of different structures are detailed. Finally, a number of key factors for designing high performance Si-based photodetectors are proposed.

Comparative Study of Silicon-Based Ultraviolet Photodetectors

This paper reports on the fabrication technology and packaging strategy for 300-V 5-A silicon carbide Schottky diodes with a wide temperature operation range capability (between -170 °C and 300 °C). These diodes have been designed for harsh environment space applications such as inner Solar System exploration probes. Different endurance tests have been performed to evaluate the diode behavior when working at a high temperature and under severe thermal cycling conditions (ranged from -170 °C to 270 °C). The radiation hardness capability has been also tested. It has been found that the hermeticity of the package in a neutral atmosphere is a key aspect to avoid an electrical parameter drift. Moreover, the use of gold metallization and gold wire bonds on the anode allows reducing the diode surface and bonding degradation when compared to Al-containing technology. On the back-side cathode contact, the Ti/Ni/Au metallization and AuGe combination have shown a very good behavior. As a result, the manufactured diodes demonstrated high stability for a continuous operation at 285 °C.

SiC Schottky Diodes for Harsh Environment Space Applications

We have developed SiC power Schottky diodes able to operate in the -170oC/+280oC temperature for the space mission BepiColombo. After a travel of 6 years, two satellites will be orbiting around Mercury during at least one year. The solar panels of the satellites will be exposed to a wide range thermal cycling stress (-170oC to +280oC). To target this application, we developed 5A/300V SiC Schottky diodes to be used as protection devices of the solar cells arrays. Both the front end and the back end technologies have been optimised. A diode selection methodology has been defined. The long term stability of packaged power SiC diodes in these temperature range and cycles is demonstrated.

Long term stability of packaged SiC Schottky diodes in the -170°C/+280°C temperature range

This work presents the long-term stability of the SiC Schottky diodes able to operate in the temperature range −170°C/280°C, specially developed for the space mission BepiColombo. This mission consists in launching two satellites around the Mercury planet. After a travel of 6 years, the satellites will be orbiting around Mercury at least one year. When orbiting around Mercury, the satellites will experience seasonal eclipses. The numbers of cycles −170°C/280°C are in the range of 4,000. The diodes are used as protection devices for the solar cells arrays. To target this application, we have developed 5A/300V breakdown voltage Silicon Carbide Schottky diodes. Long-term tests demonstrated a very good stability of the electrical, mechanical and thermal parameters.

High temperature SiC Schottky diodes with stable operation for space application

We have evaluated several SiC power switches available on the market, by defining and performing a global test campaign oriented to Space applications requirements, in order to define their main benefits but also the limits of current SiC technology. This allowed to identify a number of target applications where SiC could be used as a technology push for a new generation of space electronics units. Silicon devices qualified for space systems above 600V for the switches and 1200V for the rectifiers are not available due to performances limitations of Si. Among the typical static and dynamic characterization, we have performed temperature and power stress and HTRB tests. More remarkably, we have carried out a first batch of total dose and heavy ions radiation experiments on 3 types of power switches: normally-on JFET, normally-off JFET and power MOSFET. Due to its higher stability and radiation hardness, the normally-on JFET is today the more adequate and reliable switch for the space applications.

SiC Power Switches Evaluation for Space Applications Requirements

This paper presents the results obtained in the frame of an ESA-funded project called “Screening and Preevaluation of Shortwave Infrared Laser Diode for Space Application” with the objective of verifying the maturity of state of the art SWIR DFB lasers at 2.1µm to be used for space applications (mainly based on the occultation measurement principle and spectroscopy). The paper focus on the functional and environmental evaluation test plan. It includes high precision characterization, mechanical test (vibration and SRS shocks), thermal cycling, gamma and proton radiation tests, life test and some details of the Destructive Physical Analysis performed. The electro-optical characterization includes measurements of the tuning capabilities of the laser both by current and by temperature, the wavelength stability and the optical power versus laser current.

Evaluation of 2.1µm DFB lasers for space applications

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