2012 2nd International Conference on Advances in Computational Tools for Engineering Applications (ACTEA)

Modern Power Switch: Silicon Carbide

Technology
Jennifer Najjar, Rita Khalil, Paul Akiki and Hadi Y. Kanaan

Saint-Joseph University, Faculty of Engineering – ESIB, Department of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering
Mar Roukoz, Mkalles, B.P. 11-0514, Riad El-Solh, Beirut 1107 2050, Lebanon.
Emails: jennifer.najjar@usj.edu.lb, rita.khalil@usj.edu.lb, paul.akiki@usj.edu.lb, hadi.kanaan@usj.edu.lb

Abstract –– Over the last fifty years, silicon has been the
predominant semiconductor in the world of power
electronics. Recently a faster, tougher, and more
efficient replacement of pure silicon has been
introduced; it is the Silicon Carbide (SiC). Several SiC
devices are being developed. These devices include
Junction Barrier Schottky (JBS) and Schottky Barrier
Diodes (SBD), Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET)
and Metal–Oxide–Semiconductor-Field-Effect-
Transistor (MOSFET), Bipolar Junction Transistor
(BJT). Each one of these devices has different
characteristics, structure and properties which make
them suitable for many power switching applications.
Therefore, a new range of SiC-based power electronics
was created.
Index Terms – SiC technology, SiC MOSFET Switches, SiC
JFET switches , SiC BJT switches, SiC JBS, structure, principle,
driving requirements, power applications.
That’s why SiC can be considered as the main candidate to
replace Si in the next generation of high power devices.
The SiC crystals chemically consist of 50% carbon atoms
covalently bonded with 50% silicon atoms.
Unlike the silicon unique crystal structure, SiC has over 100
structures (polytypes) because of different stacking order of
silicon and carbon atoms. However, only three polytypes are
used for semiconductor production: the cubic 3C-SiC,
hexagonal 4H-SiC and 6H-SiC. The letter indicates the
geometrical form of the crystal structure and the number shows
the stacking sequence. Each polytype has its own distinct set of
electrical semiconductor properties. The table I shows a
comparison between electrical characteristics of Si and SiC
polytypes: bandgap (Eg) in eV at 300K, critical electric field
(Ec) in V/cm, thermal conductivity (λ) in W/cm.K, saturated
electron drift velocity (Vsat) in cm/s, electron mobility (µn) in
cm2/V.s and hole mobility (µp) in cm2/V.s.

I. INTRODUCTION TABLE I. ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS [2]

Material properties Si 3C-SiC 6H-SiC 4H-SiC
Recently, global emphasis on energy efficiency is rising Eg 1.12 2.4 3.0 3.2
because it increases the power output of a system and it also Ec 2 10 2.5 10 2.2 10
2.5 10
has the benefit of reducing the amount of waste heat generated,
leading directly to a reduction in the size of the system. Hence,
λ 1.5 3-4 3-4 3-4
Vsat 1 10 2.5 10 2 10 2 10
improved power devices are critical to the development of the
next generation of power systems. µn 1350 1000 500 950
In the last couple of decades, advanced researches on post- µp 480 40 80 120
silicon power semiconductor materials have focused on Silicon
Carbide (SiC) which has proven to be a good candidate as a The two most used polytypes of SiC are 3C that has the
material for next generation power semiconductors and energy- highest electron mobility in the lowest critical electric field and
saving power converters. Many devices based on SiC such as 4H that has higher electron and hole mobilities, and lower
diodes and transistors, are developed for high-power and high critical electric field compared to 6H.
temperature applications due to its wideband gap; and it is
suited for power-conditioning applications due to its high III. DIFFERENT SIC-BASED DEVICES
saturated drift velocity, its mechanical strength, and its
excellent thermal conductivity. Depending on the device type There are many types of SiC devices including Junction
and specific design, the device characteristics can be optimized Barrier Schottky (JBS) and Schottky Barrier Diodes (SBD),
to suit the system requirements [1]. Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET), Metal–Oxide–
Semiconductor-Field-Effect-Transistor (MOSFET) MOS-
II. COMPARISON BETWEEN SI AND SIC Hetero-Junction-Field-Effect-Transistor (MOSHFET) and
Metal-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MESFET),
Silicon (Si) was regarded as the key component of nearly all Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT), Insulated Gate Bipolar
power electronic systems for more than fifty years. However, Transistor (IGBT), Gate Turn-Off Thyristor (GTO) and MOS-
Silicon power devices are reaching their fundamental limits of controlled Thyristor (MCT).
performance. In fact, its performance is limited at high power The most used ones are JBS, MOSFET, JFET and BJT.
density and high temperature environments. On the other hand,
SiC is a material that can withstand high temperature and high A. Diodes
power density, up to about tenfold the maximum for silicon
because electrons in SiC require more energy to be pushed into The JBS diode is a normal Schottky diode in parallel with a
the conduction band. As a result, a SiC-based device having PN junction located in the active layer. This structure combines
the same size as a Si-based one can resist 10 times the voltage. the advantages of the Schottky (low voltage drop in the on

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state) and those of the bipolar diode (low leeakage current and
high breakdown voltage under reverse bias). The block
diagram of a JBS is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3. Reduced losses using

u SiC JBS diode [6].

Under forward bias, norm mal current flows through the

channels N in the Schottky contact. The voltage drop is
determined by the height of Scchottky barrier as in a Schottky
diode. No current passes througgh the junctions P+N because the
Fig. 1. SiC JBS structure[3].
applied voltage is below the threshold of conduction of a
junction P+N. In reverse conduuction mode, the P+N junctions
Fig. 2 shows the measured current (iD) and voltage (vD) under
become reverse biased and a space charge region is created
300V DC bus voltage and 20A load currentt conditions, for Si
around the P+N junctions and sppreads in the channel to block it,
diode and SiC diode respectively. With the Si diode, the
which reduces the electric fieeld at the metal/semiconductor
reverse-recovery time trr is about 160 ns, andd the peak reverse-
interface.
recovery current ID-rr is 30A, which is 1.5 times the load
A SiC JBS diode is driven thhe same way we drive a normal
current IL. With the SiC JBS diode, the reverse-recovery time
Si diode. In fact, when a positive voltage greater than the
is about 80 ns, and the peak reverse-recoveery current is 10A,
threshold voltage is applied to the diode, it switches to the on-
which is half the load current [4].
state and a voltage drop occuurs. When the current passing
through the diode becomes 0, the diode switches to the off-
state and a reverse-recovery current passes and a positive
blocked voltage can be measureed.

B. Field Effect Transistors

B.1. MOSFET

SiC is the most attractive commpound semiconductor, because

of its native oxide SiO2 – comparable to oxides used in Si
MOSFET. SiC MOSFET has a structure described in the Fig.
4. The substrate is an n-type SiCC wafer, on which an epitaxially
grown drift layer is formed. Inn order to keep the leak current
sufficiently low when the ratedd voltage is applied to the drain
electrode, the thickness and a the effective impurity
concentration in the drift layer are
a designed carefully.

Fig. 2. Diode Characteristics in blocking connditions [5].

In addition to that, the temperature dooes not affect the

Fig. 4. SiC MOSFET structure [7].
reverse-recovery current of a SiC JBS diodee, as it is shown in
Fig. 3, while a normal Si diode presents an increasing reverse
Fig. 5 shows the drain currennt-voltage characteristics of this
current every time the junction temperature inncreases.
device which has an effectivve area of 0.2 cm2, at room
temperature. As shown in the figure,
f the MOSFET can control
the drain current up to 100A.

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 Fig. 5. SiC MOSFET electrical characteristics [7].

Because of its MOS structure, SiC MOSFET has very high

input impedance. Also, switching time for this device is
determined by the aptitude to charge and discharge the input
capacitance. No storage time is needed, and current rise and
fall times can be very fast. Hence, it has faster switching. In
addition to that, SiC MOSFET can support high blocking
voltage when it is in its off-state, because it has a low-doped Fig. 6. SiC MOSFET turn-on process [9].
and thicker drift region at the drain.
The table II represents the electrical characteristics of the
SiC MOSFET: breakdown voltage (VB) in V, doping
concentration (NB) in cm-3, electron mobility (µn) in cm2/V.s,
thickness (WD) in µm.

TABLE II. ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS [8]

VB NB µn WD
200 3.74 10 388.95 0.75
500 1.04 10 606.54 2.26
1000 3.93 10 745.55 5.19
5000 4.13 10 905.05 35.83
10000 1.57 10 928.11 82.32

Figs. 6 and 7 summarize the operation principles of the SiC

MOSFET:

• Turn-on process:

Fig.6 shows that the switching of the MOSFET is divided

into four phases: the phase 1 represents the turn-on delay until
VGS reaches VTH (gate threshold voltage). The phase 2
represents the current rise period (tir) that ends when the load
current is completely transferred from the diode to the
MOSFET. The phase 3 is the voltage fall period of VDS. The
final phase is VGS rise period.
Fig. 7. SiC MOSFET turn-off process [9].

• Turn-off process:
Fig.7 shows that this process is also divided into four phases:
the phase 1 represents the delay until VGS reaches Vplateau. The
phase 2 represents the VDS rise period that ends when the
drain-source voltage reaches VDC. The phase 3 is the current
drop. And finally, the phase 4 is VGS fall period.
The on-state requires VGS to be +20V and the off-state
requires VGS to be between -2V and -5V. Care needs to be
taken not to exceed -5V in the negative region [10]. Although
the gate voltage range is high, the total gate charge of SiC
V
MOSFET is low. The gate voltage must have a fast to
achieve fast switching times which indicates that a very low
impedance driver is necessary. Moreover, the nominal

227
threshold voltage is 2.5V and VGS should be above 16V in
order to switch on the device.
B.2. JFET
The SiC JFET is free from the gate oxidde and therefore, it
does not suffer from oxide reliability and mobility
m reduction.
Hence, JFET is a reliable high power swittch even at higher
temperatures. The Fig. 8 represents the strructure of the SiC
JFET.
Fig. 8. SiC JFET structure [11].
Although the first generation of SiC JFE ET has shown low
saturation current, this property has been gradually improved
in the next generations. In fact, the last generration has excellent
saturation current capability (700A/cm2) as shown in the Fig.
9. Also, the switching speed of the SiC JFE ET is very high. In
addition to that, like all SiC devices, the JFEET can handle high
temperatures and presents low switching losses and power
losses.
Fig. 9. SiC JFET saturation current[11].
SiC JFET and SiC MOSFET have the same operating
principles; they differ only by the applied gatte voltage.
SiC JFET is a normally-on device. This is why a negative
VGS is required for turning off the devicce. The pinch-off
voltage is about VGS= - 30V. However, to guuarantee the lasting
of the off-state, a larger negative voltage shoould be applied. On
the other hand, the breakdown limit is aroundd -40V, hence care
should be taken because it could be closee to the pinch-off
voltage.
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The other gate requirement is to maintain the gate source
diode on, by keeping the voltagge around 3V at 25oC for typical
doping concentrations.
C. Bipolar Transistor (BJT)
The SiC BJT, represented inn Fig. 10, is one candidate for
high power applications due to its low on-state power loss and
fast switching capability. It hass low conduction and switching
losses, high blocking voltage, high
h operating temperatures and
high surge current capability. SiC
S BJT has also the advantage
that it can be driven safely, duee to the fact that it is a normally-
off transistor. Moreover SiC BJTB has a low amount of stored
charge which makes its switcching delays almost negligible.
Also, it can support substantiaal short circuit energy without
failure, works under circumsstances where temperature are
between -800C and 2500C and has higher power capability in
comparison to SiC JFETs whenn operating at high temperatures.
Fig. 10. SiC BJJT structure[12].
SiC BJT has the same operating basics of the Si BJT [8].
However, advances in SiC matterial makes SiC BJT overcome
some limitations imposed byy silicon such as current gain
mitations and base transit time 1
limitations, base resistance lim
limitations. Fig. 11 shows the operating principles of the BJT.
Fig. 11. SiC BJT opeerating principles [13].
The BJT is a current controllled device that can require high
base drive current.
1
Transit time represent the time it takkes for the electrons injected from the
emitter to reach the collector.
 SiC BJT can reach high current gains that vary from 20 to
60. As a result, a large area of this device cannot be controlled
using simple drive circuits and the command circuits become
expensive and complicated to design.
IV. COMPARISON BETWEEN SIC POWER DEVICES
this current are much more present in the MOSFET than the
JFET and the voltage needed to block the two devices is much
more important for the MOSFET. Also, the JFET can operate
at higher temperature. Hence, the choice between MOSFET
and JFET depend on the application.

We are comparing 1200V SiC MOSFET [14], 1200V JFET

[15] and 1200V BJT [16]. These three components are the
most used in applications.

FET BIPOLAR
DEVICE MOSFET JFET BJT
Vblocking,max(V) 1200 1200 1200
Imax(A) 20 15 6
f(kHz) 100 45 100
ton(ns) 20 20 20
toff(µs) 0.18 0.35 0.35
Junction 175 200 250
temperature(oC)
Driving voltage voltage current
High High Medium
Power Range power power power
(up to (up to (up to
500kW) 50kW) 2kW)

As we can see, the main difference between the FET and

Bipolar devices is the driving requirement: FET devices are
driven using voltage signals whereas current signals for BJTs.
However, creating a voltage signal is much easier than a
current one due to the availability of voltage sources and not
current ones. On the other hand, the FET devices are used for
high power applications (up to 500 kW) whereas the BJTs are
used for medium power (up to 2 kW). Hence, comparing FET
devices and BJT will be meaningless since the applications for
their usage are not the same.
As a result, we will proceed with the comparison of the two
SiC devices: MOSFET and JFET. The two devices can
withstand the same voltage blocking value equal to 1.2 kV.
The turn-off behavior of the 1.2kV MOSFET and 1.2kV JFET
are represented in Fig. 12. As we notice, the voltage needed for
blocking the MOSFET is more important than the voltage
needed for the JFET. Also, the drain current of the JFET shows
a lot less fluctuations than the one for the MOSFET. This
fluctuation may harm the circuit connected to the device.
Therefore, protective devices should be placed in order to
reduce these fluctuations. This effect is also visible in the
blocking voltage of the device. This behavior is marked on the
Fig. 12 with a red circle.
However, the turn-off time of the MOSFET is about 0.18 µs
whereas for the JFET its 0.35 µs so the MOSFET is much
faster than the JFET. In fact, the maximum frequency that the
MOS can work on is much more important than the one for the
JFET.
Finally, the MOSFET is a normally-off device in opposition
with the JFET which is a normally-on device.
Therefore, each device presents its advantages and
disadvantages, in fact the SiC MOSFET is faster than the JFET
and presents the advantage of being a normally-off device
making the protection and driving requirements much easier.
In addition, the MOSFET can withstand a drain current much
more important than the JFET. However, the fluctuations of
Fig. 12. Turn-off process: a) 1.2 kV SiC MOSFET, b) 1.2kV SiC JFET [17].
V. CONCLUSION
This new technology has outstanding performances
regarding voltage blocking capability, on-state voltage drop,
switching speed and thermal resistance. In, addition they are
available in many families: bipolar and field effect transistor,
and diodes. Thus, future SiC devices will be used in a lot of
power applications such as the realization of hybrid and all-
electric vehicles, creating simpler and more efficient power
systems. SiC power devices will also become vital in solar and
wind energy creation, by reducing the energy lost as electricity
is converted to a form that can be used on the power grid.
However, one of the main difficulties for SiC devices to
reach a larger production scale is to understand and control the
residual defects in material. In fact, all real crystals contain
imperfections which may be point, line, surface or volume
defects, and which disturb locally the regular arrangement of
the atoms. Hence, the devices will whiteness degradation in
their performances.
On the other hand, the high cost involved in making the base
SiC material should be reduced in order to be considered as a
practical device that can meet the requirements from various
power electronics applications.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors gratefully thank the Agence Universitaire de la
Francophonie (AUF) and Saint-Joseph University Research
Council for their financial support.

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