TY - GEN
T1 - Pulsed power switching of a 4 MM × 4 MM SIC thyristor
AU - O'Brien, Heather
AU - Shaheen, William
AU - Bayne, Stephen B.
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - While silicon carbide (SiC) is beginning to make its way into the low voltage (300-1200 V) commercial power diode market, its capabilities in pulse power applications have yet to be proven. A previous investigation by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) of SiC GTOs suggested that this emerging technology could provide pulsed current densities 40 to 60 times greater than is obtainable in silicon-based switches [1]. This study continues that earlier work by examining 4 mm times; 4 mm 4H-SiC thyristors designed by CREE Inc. to reah times; kV and 4 kA. These devices were successfully switched up to 3.89 kA with a current density reaching 56.1 kA/cm2, a specific rate-of-current-rise of 49 kA/μs/cm2(for peak rise-time 7.8 kA/μs) and a pulse-width ranging from 2.0 us to 2.6 us. The thyristors were tested at both single shot and repetitive switching rates up to 5 Hz. Device characteristics were mapped on a curve tracer at different stages of testing, and the failure of each thyristor was analyzed.
AB - While silicon carbide (SiC) is beginning to make its way into the low voltage (300-1200 V) commercial power diode market, its capabilities in pulse power applications have yet to be proven. A previous investigation by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) of SiC GTOs suggested that this emerging technology could provide pulsed current densities 40 to 60 times greater than is obtainable in silicon-based switches [1]. This study continues that earlier work by examining 4 mm times; 4 mm 4H-SiC thyristors designed by CREE Inc. to reah times; kV and 4 kA. These devices were successfully switched up to 3.89 kA with a current density reaching 56.1 kA/cm2, a specific rate-of-current-rise of 49 kA/μs/cm2(for peak rise-time 7.8 kA/μs) and a pulse-width ranging from 2.0 us to 2.6 us. The thyristors were tested at both single shot and repetitive switching rates up to 5 Hz. Device characteristics were mapped on a curve tracer at different stages of testing, and the failure of each thyristor was analyzed.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=45149122061&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/PPC.2005.300437
DO - 10.1109/PPC.2005.300437
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:45149122061
SN - 078039190X
SN - 9780780391901
T3 - Digest of Technical Papers-IEEE International Pulsed Power Conference
SP - 896
EP - 899
BT - 2005 IEEE Pulsed Power Conference, PPC
T2 - 2005 IEEE Pulsed Power Conference, PPC
Y2 - 13 June 2005 through 17 June 2005
ER -