Comparative analysis of commercially available silicon carbide transistors

Abstract

Since the release of power SiC JFETs in 2008 and power SiC MOSFETs in 2011, there are now more choices of SiC power transistors than ever before available to industrial power electronics markets. To inform prospective users, this paper surveys critical factors influencing the adoption of silicon carbide transistors for a wide range of power electronics applications. Citing publicly available documents, the analysis uses five key factors to compare and contrast the industrial viability of existing SiC transistor technologies: performance, availability, reliability, adoptability, and affordability. Special attention is devoted to the SiC transistors currently available to the commercial market, and the aspects of these devices related to the viability criteria are discussed.