University of Twente Student Theses
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Switching Loss Characterization of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Devices
Kesapli, Gulin (2025) Switching Loss Characterization of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Devices.
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| Abstract: | Wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor devices, such as silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), are improving modern power electronics due to their ability to operate at higher voltages, frequencies, and temperatures with significantly lower switching losses than conventional silicon devices. Accurate characterization of these switching losses is crucial for optimizing power inverter performance, reducing energy usage, and guiding thermal design. This thesis presents a comprehensive investigation of the switching behavior of WBG devices through the implementation of the Double Pulse Test (DPT), a widely accepted method for dynamic characterization. A complete test setup was simulated with a gate driver circuit. The variation in voltage, current, inductor value and gate resistor analyzed throughout the simulations. The switching loss and time parameters were calculated for a SiC MOSFET and two Si IGBTs and compared with the datasheet, while discussing the reasons for differences between simulations and datasheet values. In addition to simulations, measurements were carried out for the SiC MOSFET and one of the IGBTs to compare their switching losses under real operating conditions. The study concludes with an efficiency analysis using a full-bridge inverter circuit built with SiC MOSFETs and Si IGBT, demonstrating how switching behavior impacts overall power conversion efficiency with the variation in switching frequency. At lower switching frequencies, both devices show similar efficiency around 99%. However, as the frequency increases, the efficiency of the Si IGBT decreases more significantly compared to the SiC MOSFET. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | EEMCS: Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science |
| Programme: | Electrical Engineering BSc (56953) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/107855 |
| Export this item as: | BibTeX EndNote HTML Citation Reference Manager |
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