Short Circuit Requirements of Power Converters based upon Wide-Bandgap -Author Pappis, DouglasThis work has been accepted by the Faculty of Electrical Engineering / Computer Science of the University of Kassel as a thesis for acquiring the academic degree of Doktor der Ingenieurwissenschaften (Dr.-Ing.).

 

ABSTRACT

In power electronics designs, the evaluation and prediction of potential fault conditions on semiconductors is essential for achieving safe operation and reliability, being short circuit (SC) one of the most probable and destructive among the failures. It can occur externally to the power converter by shortening the load, or internally due to failures on galvanic isolations, stress on passive components, or even in the power semiconductors themselves. Silicon (Si) based power semiconductors have been extensively investigated with regards to their SC capability, although there is still on-going research as their design is being pushed closer to theoretical limits. Recent improvements on Wide-Bandgap (WBG) semiconductors such as Silicon Carbide (SiC) and Gallium nitrite (GaN) enable power electronic designs with outstanding performance, reshaping the power electronics landscape. In comparison to Si, SiC and GaN power semiconductors physically present smaller chip areas, higher maximum internal electric fields, and higher current densities. Such characteristics yield a much faster rise of the devices internal temperatures, worsening their SC performance if compared to Si.

LINK: https://kobra.uni-kassel.de/bitstream/handle/123456789/13296/orig_9783737609777.pdf?sequence=2&isAllowed=y