A comparative study of SiC and Si power devices in induction cookers

Abstract

With the growing demand for more efficient power converters with higher power densities, usage of new materials like Silicon Carbide (SiC) are getting increasingly popular. The availability of SiC devices has led to more efficient converters owing to beneficial features such as having lower internal resistance and faster switching times compared to Si based devices. SiC cascode and SiC MOSFET are among the most promising candidates. The SiC cascode consists of a JFET (normally ON) in series with a MOSFET. In this study, operation modes for Zero Voltage Switching (ZVS) in half bridge topology have been analyzed. SiC cascode, SiC MOSFET and Si IGBT device with very similar voltage and current ratings are chosen and simulated using Pspice. The results are compared with regard to efficiency, switching performance and conduction losses in half bridge topology at different frequencies from 38.41 kHz to 50 kHz. The turn on and turn off characteristics obtained from simulation are provided and compared to each other. All power devices are assumed to be at ZVS condition. SiC cascode turned out to be the most efficient among all, and SiC MOSFET was better than Si IGBT in terms of switching performance. In the light of these findings, it is logical to assume that in the future we might see more SiC devices used in induction cookers.