Comparison of power losses in hard switched applications using silicon and silicon carbide power semiconductors

This paper presents broad comparison of power losses in silicon (Si) and silicon carbide (SiC) semiconductor technologies. Switching devices - diodes and transistors were thoroughly tested in a number of configurations over a wide frequency and duty cycle ranges in hard switched buck converter topology. Four different transistors i.e. MOSFET (Si), MOSFET (SiC), IGBT(Si) and JFET(SiC) were examined, each of them worked with either Si or SiC freewheeling diode. To ensure steady power loss measurement conditions the tests were carried out in the same measurement system in settled conditions. Simulation analysis resemble the laboratory measurement results as well as theoretical assumptions. The paper presents the simulation to laboratory tests comparison of chosen transistor - diode configurations.