Application Engineering of 3C-SiC Power Devices

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The project’s goal is to make low-cost 3C-Silicon Carbide (SiC) power devices ready for real-world power applications. Power conversion is a major area of inefficiency in all power systems with silicon (Si) based systems reaching their limit. The use of compound semiconductors in power conversion is widely accepted as a route to a significant increase in efficiency and reduction in size/ weight. However, penetration of SiC devices has been limited by their high cost; currently an order higher than Si equivalents. Anvil has developed a unique technology that, by growing 3C-SiC on Si wafers, has the potential to enable the production of SiC components at a similar cost to Si ones, hence eliminating this barrier to their adoption. Anvil has early prototype devices but achieving the maximum efficiency in applications using wide bandgap semiconductors is not simple. It needs high-speed drivers, novel inverter designs, closed coupled layouts and high-temperature packages. This is best done as a system of device and inverter together rather than piece part design. The purpose of this project is to do exactly that; using models and simulations to optimise circuits and feedback optimal device design characteristics and demonstrate the potential user benefits of 3C-SiC power converters.