A Review of SiC Commercial Devices for Automotive: Properties and Challenges

This work consists of a comprehensive review and outlook at commercially available silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs for next-generation power electronics systems. The analysis starts from datasheet specifications and is focused on automotive applications. Devices are compared also with a silicon MOSFET reference, highlighting peculiarities and advantages of SiC. The physical reasons behind those advantages are also briefly explained. In the second part of the work, main reliability concerns for SiC power devices are addressed, like Threshold Voltage Shift, Gate Oxide Failure and Short Circuit Robustness. Recent results from literature are reported to give an indication on the state-of-the art performances and expectations for the future.