Development of reliable SiC MOSFET power modules

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SiC power MOSFETs are enablers of disruptive progress beyond state-of-the-art in the key parameters of power electronics technology evolution: efficiency, power density and reliability. Specifically, their ability to be operated at higher switching speeds, higher switching frequencies and ambient temperatures has been shown to yield important system level benefits, even when transistors are used as a drop-in replacement of Si ones. Still, full exploitation of the superior features of wide-band-gap devices and their subsequent large volume deployment is conditional to the development of bespoke technological solutions and design options, including cooling and packaging, as well as design tools and validation methodologies. This year, the proposer developed reliability evaluation setup which simultaneously performs accelerated deterioration of SiC power MOSFET and evaluated the lifetime of key electrical power conversion applications. Because of intrinsic differences with the established silicon technology, the test evaluated SiC-bespoke design and validated its effect on device reliability. This work assessed the state-of-the-art in electro-thermal parameters spread for both planar-gate and trench-gate type SiC MOSFET. Based on the transient thermal resistance characterization experimented results, physical eletro-thermal simulation model was developed, which enabled to investigate the relation between device progressive degradation patterns and the initial parameters value spread.