Silicon carbide based Anode Supply Module Array for hall effect thrusters

This paper presents the development of a high efficiency, rad-hard 3.8 kW silicon carbide (SiC) based Anode Supply Module (ASM) Array for the High Voltage Hall Accelerator (HiVHAC) thruster's power processing unit (PPU). The power converter utilizes SiC JFET power switches which have on-resistance an order of magnitude smaller than equivalent 600V rad-hard silicon MOSFETs. Program goals include the ability to produce up to 700 V output voltage, 3.6 kW output power, 2.5 kW/kg gravimetric power density, and 96% efficiency. The converter operates on 80-160 V input and can dynamically control the output voltage between 200-700 V.