Influence of Emitter Side Design on the Unintentional Turn-on of 10kV+ SiC n-IGBTs

Almpanis, Ioannis; Antoniou, Marina; Evans, Paul; Empringham, Lee; Gammon, P. M.; Udrea, F.; Mawby, Philip; Lophitis, Neophytos

doi:10.1109/ecce50734.2022.9947492

Cited by 3 publications

References 18 publications

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Behavioural SiC IGBT Modelling Using Non-Linear Voltage and Current Dependent Capacitances

Almpanis,

Evans,

et al. 2023

2023 IEEE Design Methodologies Conference (DMC)

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This paper presents a behavioural silicon carbide (SiC) IGBT model that utilizes voltage and current dependent capacitances to simulate its switching characteristics, and a voltage dependent current source to simulate the static characteristics. The non-linear capacitances are extracted from dynamic Current-Voltage (IV) measurements, eliminating the need for non-standard Capacitance-Voltage (C-V) characterization methods under high voltage and high current. The accuracy of the compact model is compared with previously validated numerical Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) simulation results across a wide range of operational conditions. The model performance is demonstrated by accurately predicting the unique characteristics of a 27kV SiC IGBT, including dV/dt, dI/dt and losses, while significantly reducing the simulation time by 4-5 orders of magnitude. Additionally, the model convergence is tested using a buck converter topology with non-ideal parasitic elements.

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Behavioural SiC IGBT Modelling Using Non-Linear Voltage and Current Dependent Capacitances

Almpanis,

Evans,

et al. 2023

2023 IEEE Design Methodologies Conference (DMC)

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Silicon Carbide n-IGBTs: Structure Optimization for Ruggedness Enhancement

Almpanis,

Antoniou,

Evans

et al. 2024

IEEE Trans. on Ind. Applicat.

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In recent years, silicon carbide (SiC) based devices are increasingly replacing their silicon counterparts in power conversion applications due to their performance superiority. SiC insulated-gate bipolar transistors are particularly interesting as they appear to be the most appropriate for medium and high voltage applications due to their low on-state voltage drop for devices rated at 10kV or higher. However, the widespread adoption of SiC IGBT requires rugged devices capable of surviving in harsh conditions. By using Sentaurus TCAD and validated models based on published experimental results, the short-circuit, unintentional turn-on and dV/dt ruggedness of SiC IGBTs are comprehensively explored and the impact of device parameters on the overall IGBT ruggedness were identified. This paper aims to propose the most efficient methods for IGBT ruggedness enhancement on the device level.

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10kV+ Rated SiC n-IGBTs: Novel Collector-Side Design Approach Breaking the Trade-Off between dV/dt and Device Efficiency

Almpanis,

Evans,

Antoniou

et al. 2023

KEM

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10kV+ rated 4H- Silicon Carbide (SiC) Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) have the potential to become the devices of choice in future Medium Voltage (MV) and High Voltage (HV) power converters. However, one significant performance concern of SiC IGBTs is the extremely fast collector voltage rise (dV/dt) observed during inductive turn-off. Studies on the physical mechanisms of high dV/dt in 4H-SiC IGBTs revealed the importance of collector-side design in controlling the phenomenon. In this paper we propose a novel collector-side design approach, which consists of four n-type layers with optimized doping densities and allows the control of dV/dt independently from the device performance. Further, we demonstrate a reduction of dV/dt by 87% without degrading the high switching frequency capability of the device, or the on-state performance, through the addition of two n-type epitaxial layers in the collector side, between the buffer and the drift regions.

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Influence of Emitter Side Design on the Unintentional Turn-on of 10kV+ SiC n-IGBTs

Cited by 3 publications

References 18 publications

Behavioural SiC IGBT Modelling Using Non-Linear Voltage and Current Dependent Capacitances

Behavioural SiC IGBT Modelling Using Non-Linear Voltage and Current Dependent Capacitances

Silicon Carbide n-IGBTs: Structure Optimization for Ruggedness Enhancement

10kV+ Rated SiC n-IGBTs: Novel Collector-Side Design Approach Breaking the Trade-Off between dV/dt and Device Efficiency

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