Impact of Termination Region on Switching Loss for SiC MOSFET

Due to outstanding properties of silicon carbide (SiC) and unipolar current conduction mechanism, the active chip size of SiC metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) is significantly shrunk, which significantly improves switching performance. However, the termination region cannot be scaled down due to the existence of high breakdown electric field enclosing active region. Therefore, a SiC MOSFET switching loss model considering termination region effect is proposed in this paper with revealing physical insights into termination region during switching process. Furthermore, through theoretical analysis, model establishment, and simulation results, the loss breakdown under various blocking voltages (800, 1000, and 1200 V) for 1-, 3-, and 6-A current rated devices is obtained. E-term and E-acti as intrinsic loss of turn-on process make a significant contribution to the total switching loss under fast gate drive condition. The model shows that the turn-on and turn-off losses are under and overestimated, respectively, by using the commonly used electrical measurement. The loss from termination region aggravates the underestimation of turn-on loss and overestimation of turn-off loss further. The proposed loss estimation equation could provide accurate loss to help choose device and design power circuit for power electronic community. The results also raise new perspective to edge termination of efficient/reliable SiC MOSFET for device people.