Feasibility and performances of BOOST converter in automotive application using silicon power transistors operating at 200°C

This study presents the capability to use conventional silicon power semiconductor devices (Si-IGBT, Si-CoolMOS™) at 200°C operating junction temperature in a BOOST converter for traction automotive application. For each die, nano-scale silver sintered die-attach has been used in order to guaranty an optimum heat transfer between the chip and the substrate. Electrical static characterizations (breakdown voltage, leakage current, threshold voltage and on-state voltage drop) as well as dynamic characteristics (turn-on, turn-off and switching losses) have been investigated for a wide range of temperature (from −50°C up to 200°C). A comparison is made with a SiC-MOSFET taken as reference. Additionally, as a preliminary study, each device is tested in a 200V to 450V @200W (power scale reduction) BOOST converter to evaluate its performances and its use at 200°C.