Silicon carbide FETs offer simple silicon substitution to cut losses in power systems

UnitedSiC has released the UJ3C series of 650 V SiC FETs as drop-in replacements for silicon Superjunction MOSFETs. They are offered in standard TO-220, TO-247 and D2PAK-3L packages, operating with standard Si-MOSFET gate drive, which eliminates the need to re-design drive circuits while giving low RDS(ON) and low gate charge to decrease system losses. The devices are used for power factor correction and DC-DC conversion in hard-switched and ZVS-switched systems, applications. These include power supplies, EV chargers, motor drives and renewable energy inverters. The maximum drain current (ID) ratings for these SiC transistors ranges from 31A to 85A. Low RDS(ON), defined at 27 milli-ohms, is best in class for TO-220 devices. Moreover, a built-in low Qrr body diode removes the requirement for an anti-parallel diode. With their mixture of high current rating, low RDS(ON) and excellent thermal performance, the series can be used in hard-switched converters and zero-voltage switching applications such as LLC and phase-shifted full bridge converters. The devices also provide switching frequencies of up to 500kHz, allowing creators to reduce the cost and size of other system components, including bulky inductors, capacitors and thermal management parts.