Silicon Carbide Power Devices

Abstract

Power and energy in all sectors of the economy are controlled using power semiconductor devices. Power electronics has relied up on silicon power devices for over half a century. Improvement in performance by replacing silicon devices with silicon carbide devices was recognized in the early 1980s. Subsequent progress with the growth of high-quality large diameters SiC wafers and innovations in SiC device structures have enabled their commercialization since 2005. This chapter discusses the physics and design of SiC unipolar devices, as well as their applications.