Search results for "Power semiconductor device"
showing 10 items of 21 documents
SIC based solid state protections switches for space applications
2017
Development and technology maturation of Silicon Carbide (SiC) power transistors over the last 15 years has motivated its study in aerospace systems. When compared with Si devices, superior voltage blocking capacity and the capability of operation at higher temperatures, give important advantages in space power electronics applications, similar to what happens in terrestrial electronics. This paper discusses the use of SiC power transistors for Solid State Power Switches especially addressed to the space segment. Two applications will be covered, the first is the Solid State Shunt Switch, widely used in high power Direct Energy Transfer (DET) photovoltaic power regulators and the second is …
A comparison of two innovative customer power devices for Smart Micro-Grids
2015
The paper presents a comparison of two prototypes of innovative Customer Power Devices designed for applications in Smart Micro-Grids. The devices are both equipped with Energy Storage Systems, consisting in Lithium batteries and have been assembled, independently, by the DIAEE of the University of Rome 'La Sapienza' and the DEIM of the University of Palermo in collaboration with the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA). In the paper, the characteristics and the operating modes of the devices are examined and some consideration on their application in Low Voltage Smart Micro-Grids are provided. © 2015 IEEE.
UPS fuel cell based: An innovative back-up system
2007
The aim of the paper is to evaluate the technical feasibility and aspects related to the use, in an Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), of fuel cells instead of traditional electrochemical batteries. The proposed system, named UPS-FCB (Fuel Cell Based) presents a modular and versatile system configuration; particularly it is possible to integrate it with traditional UPS. Moreover the system features can be modified in terms of power, reliability, back-up time, etc., by changing the power devices. A detailed experimental analysis has been carried out on a passive stand-by UPS integrated with a FCB; experimental results can be easily extended to the other possible system architectures. © 2007…
Series and parallel resonant inverters for induction heating under short-circuit conditions considering parasitic components
1999
Series and parallel resonant inverters are the common structures in high power industrial generators for induction heating applications. In practical working conditions, short-circuit of the heating coil is very common, normally producing overvoltages that can damage the power transistors of the inverter if no special precautions are taken. The aim of the paper is to show the mechanism of how overvoltages are generated under short-circuit conditions of the heating coil for series and parallel inverters.
Resonance assisted jump-in voltage reduction for electrostatically actuated nanobeam-based gateless NEM switches.
2019
Electrostatically actuated nanobeam-based electromechanical switches have shown promise for versatile novel applications, such as low power devices. However, their widespread use is restricted due to poor reliability resulting from high jump-in voltages. This article reports a new method for lowering the jump-in voltage by inducing mechanical oscillations in the active element during the switching ON process, reducing the jump-in voltage by more than three times. Ge0.91Sn0.09 alloy and Bi2Se3 nanowire-based nanoelectromechanical switches were constructed in situ to demonstrate the operation principles and advantages of the proposed method.
Investigation of the Impact of Neutron Irradiation on SiC Power MOSFETs Lifetime by Reliability Tests
2021
High temperature reverse-bias (HTRB), High temperature gate-bias (HTGB) tests and electrical DC characterization were performed on planar-SiC power MOSFETs which survived to accelerated neutron irradiation tests carried out at ChipIr-ISIS (Didcot, UK) facility, with terrestrial neutrons. The neutron test campaigns on the SiC power MOSFETs (manufactered by ST) were conducted on the same wafer lot devices by STMicroelectronics and Airbus, with different neutron tester systems. HTGB and HTRB tests, which characterise gate-oxide integrity and junction robustness, show no difference between the non irradiated devices and those which survived to the neutron irradiation tests, with neutron fluence…
Incident angle effect on heavy ion induced reverse leakage current in SiC Schottky diodes
2016
Heavy-ion induced degradation in the reverse leakage current of SiC Schottky power diodes shows distinct dependence on the angle of incidence. TCAD simulations have been used to study the physical mechanisms involved.
Power losses comparison between Silicon Carbide and Silicon devices for an isolated DC-DC converter
2021
In recent years, new efficient power devices have been implemented. Silicon Carbide has replaced silicon as regards the production and the utilization of many devices, such as MOSFETs, diodes, IGBTs and many others. SiC devices are characterized by a low reverse recovery charge, high carrier saturation velocity, by which it is possible to work at high frequency, and high breakdown voltage. Thanks to the great thermal conductivity and the wide bandgap, these devices can operate at high temperature and reach high voltages and currents. What is important to stress is the fact that power losses in SiC devices are lower than the silicon ones. These are the reasons why these devices are utilized …
On the use of front-end cascode rectifiers based on normally on SiC JFET and Si MOSFET
2014
The new wide band-gap semiconductor devices provide new properties to be explored. Normally on silicon carbide (SiC) JFET power devices have several advantages, in particular low switching losses and the potential capabilities of high temperature and high reverse blocking voltage. Looking for improving the overall efficiency in power converters, new structures based on these power devices might be studied. In this paper, a cascode rectifier based on normally on SiC JFET is presented and analyzed. This rectification structure can be applied as front-end rectifier stage for ac-dc power converters, increasing the overall efficiency of these topologies. A second cascode rectifier based on silic…
A Comparative Performance Study of a 1200 V Si and SiC MOSFET Intrinsic Diode on an Induction Heating Inverter
2014
This paper presents a comparison of the behavior of the intrinsic diode of silicon (Si) and silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs. The study was done for 1200 V Si and SiC MOSFETs. The data sheet from manufacturers shows the characteristics of MOSFET' intrinsic diode when gate source voltage (VGS) is 0 V. There are applications where the MOSFET' intrinsic diode is used while VGS is different than 0 V. One of these applications is induction heating, where depending on the load and the regulation system, the diode can conduct a significant part of the inverter current. In most applications which use the MOSFET' intrinsic diode, the turn ON of the intrinsic diode happens at VGS = 0 V. After a blanking…