Analysis of carrier lifetime effects on HV SIC PiN diodes at elevated pulsed switching conditions

Future Army power systems will require utilizing high-power and high-voltage SiC devices in order to meet size, weight, volume, and high power density for fast switching requirements at both component and system levels. This paper presents the modeling and simulation of a high voltage (>12kV) silicon carbide PiN diode for high action pulsed power applications. A model of a high power PiN diode was developed in the Silvaco Atlas software to better understand the extreme electrical stresses in the power diode when subjected to a high-current pulse. The impact of carrier lifetime on pulsed switching performance of silicon carbide (SiC) PiN diode was investigated.