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    GaN and SiC Devices and Modules

    D25.3 - Robustness of SiC and GaN Diodes Under Extreme dv/dt Stress Up to 980 V/Ns

    Thursday, March 26, 2026
    12:00 PM - 1:45 PM CT
    Location: Poster 3
    The robustness of wide-bandgap power devices under extreme dv/dt stress is critical for identifying the device dynamic safe-operating-area, particularly for ultrafast pulse power applications. This paper characterizes a high dv/dt ruggedness of 650 V SiC Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) and GaN field-effect rectifiers using a custom-built test circuit. The setup enables reverse blocking voltages up to the kilovolt range under controlled voltage slew rates up to 980 V/ns, allowing for transient voltage analysis and device failure understanding under extreme switching conditions. SiC SBDs exhibit a consistent avalanche capability, showing voltage clamping near the avalanche breakdown voltage (BV) even at 800 V/ns. However, at ultrahigh dv/dt, a degradation in blocking voltage is observed. AlGaN/GaN field-effect rectifiers demonstrate high static BV (>1000 V) but lack avalanche capability. They withstand high dv/dt stress up to 980 V/ns and exhibit catastrophic breakdown at a consistent peak voltage of ~1492 V, irrespective of dv/dt. These findings provide key insights into the dv/dt boundaries and failure modes of SiC and GaN devices under ultrahigh dv/dt stress.