Performance of a 1-kV, Silicon Carbide Avalanche Breakdown Diode

A SiC avalanche breakdown diode (ABD) having a nominal 1-kV breakdown voltage was fabricated to provide improved suppression of voltage transients induced during hard-switched turn-off of solid-state devices. Three SiC ABDs were pulsed 1000 times in an inductive load circuit at peak currents of over 100 A. Superior performance in peak pulse current, clamping voltage, and peak pulse power was seen, compared to the results of two series-connected commercial TVS devices, collectively having a comparable breakdown voltage. The transient thermal response of the SiC ABDs was calculated using a model for energy dissipation in short pulses. SiC ABD design parameters and test data were used to show that the reported performance of these devices was not related to package thermal impedance.