A review of WBG and Si devices hybrid applications

Abstract

In recent years, next-generation power semiconductor devices, represented by silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), have gradually emerged. Because wide-bandgap (WBG) devices have better electrical characteristics than those of silicon (Si) based devices, they have attracted increased attention both from academic researchers and industrial engineers. Employing WBG devices will further improve the efficiency and power density of power converters. However, the current price of WBG devices remains extremely high. Thus, some researches have focused on the hybrid utilization of WBG devices and Si-based devices to achieve a tradeoff between the performance and cost. To summarize the current research on WBG/Si hybrid applications, the issues mentioned above with representative research approaches, results, and characteristics, are systematically reviewed. Finally, the current research on WBG/Si hybrid applications and their future trends are discussed.