Underpinning Power Electronics switch optimisation Theme

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Silicon carbide (SiC) N-channel IGBTs have the potential to enable new and highly efficient ultrahigh voltage (10 kV+) applications such as the Smart Grid and HVDC, enabling a low carbon society. However, to date, only four research groups have reported on their successful development, due to the considerable challenge associated with their fabrication. Exploiting a consortium made up of experts from the fields of SiC materials, simulation and fabrication, and building on a recent history of SiC MOSFET, Si IGBT and SiC materials research, the aim of the Switch Optimisation theme of Underpinning Power Electronics is to be amongst the first groups in Europe and the world to develop these devices, and to push the boundaries of what has been achieved in this fledgling field to date. Once a quality benchmarked ~15 kV SiC IGBT process is developed as the first milestone in this project, the process will be modified to explore areas not to-date explored, including the development of lower voltage (5-10 kV) SiC IGBTs benchmarked to SiC MOSFETs, trench SiC IGBTs, and novel topologies such as hybrid SiC MOSFET-IGBTs. The consortium will all work together towards these ambitious goals, with the work packages split by expertise (materials development, simulation, fabrication and testing) to cut across each of the objectives.