ABSTRACT
Turn-on measurements of Silicon Carbide (SiC) thyristors are presented for the first time. The measurements are made on 4H-SiC npnp thyristors for a wide range of operating conditions. Comparisons with similar rated silicon and gallium arsenide thyristors show a superior rise time and pulsed turn-on performance of SiC thyristors. Time constant of current rise for a 400 V blocking voltage, 4 V forward drop (2.8 × 103 A/cm2) SiC thyristor has been found to be of the order of 3–5 ns. Pulsed turn-on measurements show a residual voltage of only 50 V when a current density of 105 A/cm2 (35 A) was achieved in 20 ns.
