A Survey of Wide Bandgap Power Semiconductor Devices

Wide bandgap semiconductors show superior material properties enabling potential power device operation at higher temperatures, voltages, and switching speeds than current Si technology. As a result, a new generation of power devices is being developed for power converter applications in which tradi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEE transactions on power electronics 2014-05, Vol.29 (5), p.2155-2163
Main Authors: Millan, Jose, Godignon, Philippe, Perpina, Xavier, Perez-Tomas, Amador, Rebollo, Jose
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Accounting
BJTs
diodes
GaN
HEMTs
IGBTs
JFETs
MOSFETs
power devices
Semiconductors
SiC
Temperature
thyristors
wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors
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Summary:Wide bandgap semiconductors show superior material properties enabling potential power device operation at higher temperatures, voltages, and switching speeds than current Si technology. As a result, a new generation of power devices is being developed for power converter applications in which traditional Si power devices show limited operation. The use of these new power semiconductor devices will allow both an important improvement in the performance of existing power converters and the development of new power converters, accounting for an increase in the efficiency of the electric energy transformations and a more rational use of the electric energy. At present, SiC and GaN are the more promising semiconductor materials for these new power devices as a consequence of their outstanding properties, commercial availability of starting material, and maturity of their technological processes. This paper presents a review of recent progresses in the development of SiC- and GaN-based power semiconductor devices together with an overall view of the state of the art of this new device generation.
ISSN:0885-8993
1941-0107
DOI:10.1109/TPEL.2013.2268900