Short-circuit capability: benchmarking SiC and GaN devices with Si-based technologies

Inhalt:
While the outstanding performance of WBG-based devices regarding their very low switching and conduction losses has already been extensively demonstrated, several questions still arise concerning issues like reliability and robustness. This paper will focus on the second aspect, giving special attention to the short-circuit capability. Here, a detailed test method will be described, defining new parameters to identify possible critical issues for the application. This will be followed by experimental investigations with commercially available SiC MOSFETs and with samples of GaN devices with the objective of benchmarking their performance with comparable Si-IGBTs and MOSFETs.