SiC-Based Power Converters for High Temperature Applications

As commercial-grade silicon carbide (SiC) power electronics devices become available, the application of these devices at higher temperatures or frequencies has gained interest. This paper contains temperature-dependent loss models for SiC diodes and JFETs and simulations for different power converters that are useful for predicting the efficiency of these converters. Additionally, tests to characterize the static and dynamic performance of some available devices are presented to give further insight into the advantages that might be gained from using SiC devices instead of Si devices for hybrid electric vehicle applications.