Design and validation of a novel semiconductor area optimised 3300 V SiC half bridge for MMC

This article presents the design and experimental validation of a novel semiconductor area optimised 3300 V half bridge with Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs for HVDC converters. Based on a loss simulation, the problem statement is provided. On this results, a mathematical derivation for the optimised semiconductor area design is executed. After this step, a system loss simulation shows the performance in efficiency and specific output power. Finally, a proof of concept was provided by a scaled hardware test setup to characterise the dynamic behaviour of the novel SiC half bridge design compared to the conventional SiC half bridge.