Short-Circuit Robustness of Discrete SiC MOSFETs in Half-Bridge Configuration

This paper studies the short-circuit robustness of Silicon carbide power MOSFETs in the most commonly-used half-bridge configuration. The energy repartition during short-circuit is inherently unstable and unequal, leading to the failure of one device before the other. The short circuit event before destruction typically lasts 50% longer in half-bridge configuration, compared to single-device short circuits. During non-incremental destructive tests, the failure first manifests by a drain-source short on the device sustaining most of the voltage, and is followed by a gate failure on this device. Incremental destructive tests show after turn-OFF failures.