High-Temperature, 400 W, DC-to-AC Inverter Using Silicon Carbide Gate Turn- Off Thyristors and p-i-n Diodes

Abstract

A high-temperature, 400 W, DC-to-AC inverter has been developed using silicon carbide gate turn-off thyristors and p-i-n diodes. We demonstrate the inverter driving a three-phase, inductive motor up to 580 W and device case temperatures up to 150 deg C. The inverter circuit was constructed to perform the first characterization of these SiC devices under significant electrical and thermal stresses, investigate the parametric operating space of the SiC devices, and uncover circuit-related failure modes. We discuss our electrical screening criteria of the SiC components, electrical stresses brought about by circuit topology, component failure modes, and inverter performance. We will use the results of this work in the development of future SiC components.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2003
Accession Number
ADA420015

Entities

People

  • Bruce Geil
  • C. W. Tipton
  • Charles J. Scozzie
  • Stephen Bayne
  • Timothy Griffin

Organizations

  • United States Army Research Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Carbides
  • Ceramic Materials
  • Circuits
  • Compound Semiconductors
  • Dead Time
  • Electronics
  • Failure Mode And Effect Analysis
  • Frequency
  • High Temperature
  • Inverter Circuits
  • Inverters
  • Power Electronics
  • Silicon
  • Silicon Carbide
  • Stresses
  • Thyristors
  • Topology

Fields of Study

  • Engineering

Readers

  • Electrical Engineering

Technology Areas

  • Space