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Ask The Expert - Silicon Carbide

Here we welcome you to view the first ever DesignSpark 'Ask The Expert' session. Working with Rohm Semiconductor, we invited you, our DesignSpark members, to post any questions you had concerning Silicon Carbide Power Devices.

Thank you for your excellent response, the answers are now available in the video below: 

 

Christian Felgemacher

Christian received his MEng (Hons.) degree in electronics and electrical engineering with management from the University of Edinburgh in 2011 and his Dr.-Ing. degree from the University of Kassel in 2018. From 2012 to 2017 he was a Research Assistant at the Centre of Competence for Distributed Electric Power Technology at the University of Kassel where he focused on reliability aspects of power semiconductors in photovoltaic inverters as well as the utilisation of wide-bandgap devices. Christian joined ROHM Semiconductor in 2018 where he works to support customers in designing in state of the art power semiconductors such as SiC MOSFETs into their power conversion systems.

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Silicon Carbide (SiC) offers numerous benefits and advantages in power electronics design when compared to silicon. SiC is getting the attention of system designers and power electronic engineers alike, attracted by the characteristics of low loss, higher switching frequencies and improved efficiencies. 


Full List Of Questions

Interested in SiC, but don't have time to watch the entire video just now? See Christian's Answers To Each Specific Question Below by clicking on the timestamp: 

00:38 - What does SiC bring to power electronics systems, that IGBT, MOSFET and Super Junction MOSFET don't?

01:43 - What is the difference between Carbide (SiC) and Gallium Nitride (GaN) power devices?

02:33 - What are the applications where SiC should be considered the default choice and why?

03:23 - What types of SiC devices are available today?

04:04 - Which industries are moving towards SiC, is it just where higher power is needed?

04:46 - What are cost levels of SiC compared to Silicon only, is there are premium and if so why?

06:21 - What are the key operating differences?

07:47 - What about power conversion in consumer electronics which is dominated by silicon, will SiC emerge

08:30 - Is it true that due to packaging materials used, that SiC is only practical for low-frequency circuits? At higher frequencies, Capacitance and Inductance become an issue? If so what frequency ranges are they suited to?

10:15 - Loved ROHM's SiC article on DesignSpark. Is SiC considered to be an alien material then?!

11:07 - Electrically powered cars are big news, are you working in partnership with any Automotive manufacturers in developing the technology and moving away from the reliance on fossil fuels?

12:42 - Can SiC MOSFETS be designed within circuits as a replacement for Silicon, or do you need to consider wider operating characteristics when including SiC?

14:04 - What is the ideal gate resistance value when connecting SiC MOSFETS in parallel?

14:49 - Why is there undershoot/overshoot of the gate signal during SiC device drive?

15:57 - How can I mitigate the undershoot and overshoot of the gate signal when using SiC products?

16:26 - What happens to the gate voltage drive in SiC MOSFETS and modules when deviating from the recommended values?

18:05 - Is a negative bias required for the gate drive voltage in SiC MOSFETS and modules?

Favourite things are Family, Music and Judo. Also, I have the ability to retain and quote useless facts, something that pleases me but can annoy others. My engineering hero - Isambard Kingdom Brunel
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