Comparison of Turn-Off Strategies for SiC Thyristors

Abstract:

Three different turn-off strategies are presented for 6.5 kV class SiC Thyristors. A cathode current of 62 A (284 A/cm²) is successfully turned off by applying a reverse bias of ≈ 30 V to the cathode of a SiC Thyristor. The minimum turn-off time (t_q) for the Thyristor using this forced commutation technique is investigated as a function of cathode current density, reverse gate current and the dV/dt of the re-applied forward (blocking) bias. The Anode Switched Thyristor (AST) turn-off mode is demonstrated at a maximum cathode voltage of 3600 V and 14.5 A (199 A/cm²) of cathode current. A cathode current of 5.5 A (75 A/cm²) is successfully turned off by the gate turn off (GTO) or hard turn-off mode at different temperatures up to 200°C. The high-level lifetime (t_HL) in the thick p-layer is extracted from the hard turn-off waveforms.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volumes 821-823)
• Pages: 889-892
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/www.scientific.net/MSF.821-823.889
• Online since: June 2015
• Authors: Siddarth G. Sundaresan*, Ranbir Singh
• Keywords: Carrier Lifetime, High-Temperature, SiC Thyristor, Ultra High Voltage

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