Switching characteristics of SiC JFET and Schottky diode in high-temperature dc-dc power converters

This paper reports on SiC devices operating in a dc-dc buck converter under extremely high ambient temperatures. To this end, the authors packaged SiC JFET and Schottky diodes in thermally stable packages and built a high-temperature inductor. The converter was tested at ambient temperatures up to 400°C. Although the conduction loss of the SiC JFET increases slightly with increasing temperatures, the SiC JFET and Schottky diode continue normal operation because their switching characteristics show minimal change with temperature. This work further demonstrates the suitability of the SiC devices for high-temperature power converter applications.