Abstract
The current temperature operating range of semiconducting materials is given to be between -10°C and 105°C. Current plans are to increase this range due to an industry demand for semiconducting materials able to operate outside these bounds. Wide bandgap semiconductor materials have been researched for some time in an effort to manufacture commercially viable controlled semiconductor switches. Samples of such a controlled switch have been obtained and promises to be close to commercial rollout. This controlled switch takes on the form of a Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET), which is a depletion mode component. Depletion mode switches are normally-on, and have thus far not been used in the power electronics field. Due to difficult switching and availibility of component which are switched more easily, these components were quicklier and easierly adopted for use. The Silicon Carbide JFET promises to circumvent these cons with the ability to block higher voltages, at higher temperatures and at higher speeds. Lower on resistance and smaller size of substrates are other benefits that the use of Silicon Carbide semiconducting material promises. A variety of properties of the Silicon Carbide JFET are investigated. Some of these properties include the component on-resistance, gate charge, breakthrough voltage of the gate and leakage current of the channel. Switching performance is also investigated as well as the reverse recovery of the body diode. All properties were measured as a function of temperature in an effort to describe the difference in performance at high temperatures.
Prof. Ivan Hofsajer