Comparison of the H3TRB Performance of Silicon and Silicon Carbide Power Modules

Abstract

In this work, the H3TRB performance of power modules with SiC MOSFET chips is investigated and compared to their silicon counterparts with similar electrical ratings. For this purpose, SiC MOSFETs and silicon IGBT chips are packaged in the same housing and with the same packaging technology and an H3TRB test is performed on both types of test devices. The results show that while both types exhibit an excellent H3TRB performance, the SiC MOSFETs had a significantly longer time to failure but also a wider failure distribution. Hence, the investigations presented in this paper confirm that properly designed SiC devices feature an equal or even better ruggedness against electro-chemical stress than standard silicon devics and are equally suitable for applications, which require operation in harsh environments.