A simulation study of SiC MOSFET characteristics and design of gate drive card using TLP250

From small voltage regulators to large motor drives, power electronics play a very important role in present day technology. The power electronics market is currently dominated by silicon based devices. However due to inherent limitations of silicon material they are approaching thermal limit in terms of high power and high temperature operation. Performance can only be improved with the development of new power devices with better material properties. Silicon Carbide devices are now gaining popularity as next generation semiconductor devices. Due to its inherent material properties such as high breakdown field, wide band gap, high electron saturation velocity, and high thermal conductivity, they serve as a better alternative to the silicon counterparts. Here an attempt is made to study the unique properties of SiC MOSFET and requirements for designing a gate drive circuit for the same. The switching characteristics of SCH2080KE are analyzed using LTspice by performing double pulse test. Also driver circuit is designed for SiC MOSFET SCH2080KE and its performance is tested by implementing a buck converter.