Gate leakage-current, damaged gate and open-circuit failure-mode of recent SiC Power Mosfet : Overview and analysis of unique properties for converter protection and possible future safety management

Frédéric Richardeau (1) , François Boige (2) , Stéphane Lefebvre (3, 4)

1 LAPLACE-CS - Convertisseurs Statiques
2 LAPLACE - LAboratoire PLasma et Conversion d'Energie
3 SATIE - Systèmes et Applications des Technologies de l'Information et de l'Energie
4 CNAM - Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers [CNAM]

The silicon carbide MOSFETs tend to become the standard for high-performance medium voltage power electronics in terms of compactness and efficiency. Although the weakness of its gate-oxide and the relatively low short-circuit time capability are known limitations, this device reveals interesting unique properties. In this paper the authors explore the gate leakage-current behavior in normal and pre-damage operations as well as the conditions for obtaining an atypical and very interesting fail-to-open mode which has never been observed with silicon dies. These properties may be used for dedicated and innovative protection techniques for safer converter.

Mots clés: fail-safe operation; Mosfet; SiC; reliability; short-circuit; fault- management; fail-safe operation

Domaines: Energie électrique; Electronique

Frédéric Richardeau, François Boige, Stéphane Lefebvre. Gate leakage-current, damaged gate and open-circuit failure-mode of recent SiC Power Mosfet : Overview and analysis of unique properties for converter protection and possible future safety management. 2018 IEEE International Conference on Electrical Systems for Aircraft, Railway, Ship Propulsion and Road Vehicles & International Transportation Electrification Conference (ESARS-ITEC), Nov 2018, Nottingham, France. pp.1-6, ⟨10.1109/ESARS-ITEC.2018.8607551⟩. ⟨hal-02180839⟩