Keys for Paralleling SiC MOSFETs

By David Kudelasek, Application Engineer, STMicroelectronics–Power & Energy Application Lab (Prague), STMicroelectronics.

Based on several high-power applications, we can see a clear trend of using power modules and discrete MOSFETs. There is a significant overlap between both, roughly from 10 kW to 50 kW. Modules fit well for this power range, but discrete MOSFETs bring other benefits: design freedom and a much wider portfolio. When a single MOSFET is not enough for the power, parallelization is the solution.

However, power is not the only reason to use MOSFETs in parallel. As revealed in the article, the switching energies could be lower, and heat transfer much better. Together with the thermal effect on conductive losses, parallelization is a great tool for lower losses, better cooling, and/or increased power capability. However, not all devices are suitable for usage in parallel, especially as various parameters and their spread affect the behavior. This article digs into this problem and shows how ST's SiC MOSFETs (Ge...