Characterization of 1.7 kV SiC MOSFET Modules for Medium/High Power Current Source Inverter in Photovoltaic Applications

The pros and cons of SiC technology have been shown in literature, especially regarding voltage source inverter operation. Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies concerning the switching process in current source inverter structures. The purpose of this paper is to study and discuss the switching characterization of a novel 1.7 kV full-SiC MOSFET module suitable for current source inverter in large-scale photovoltaic applications. Besides that, two 1.7 kV SiC MOSFET devices are experimentally compared, from two different manufacturers. The characterization of switching energies as a function of temperature is also carried out. Furthermore, a rigorous analysis of current sensor techniques is presented.