Behavior-based model enables power electronic design engineers to quantify benefits of silicon carbide MOSFETs in board-level circuit simulation

(09/02/2012)

Cree, Inc. has expanded its design-in support for the industry’s first commercially-available SiC MOSFET power devices with a fully-qualified SPICE model.
Using the new SPICE model, circuit designers can easily evaluate the benefits Cree’s SiC Z-FET™ MOSFETs provide for achieving a higher level of efficiency than is possible with conventional silicon power switching devices for comparably-rated devices.

SiC MOSFETs have significantly different characteristics than silicon devices and therefore require a SiC-specific model for accurate circuit simulations. Cree’s behavior-based, temperature-dependent SPICE model is compatible with the LT spice simulation program and enables power electronics design engineers to reliably simulate the advanced switching performance of Cree CMF10120D and CMF20120D Z-FETs in board-level circuit designs.

Cree SiC MOSFETs are capable of delivering switching frequencies that are up to 10 times higher than IGBT-based solutions. Their higher switching frequencies can enable smaller magnetic and capacitive elements, thereby shrinking the overall size, weight and cost of power electronics systems.

This SiC MOSFET SPICE model adds to Cree’s comprehensive suite of design-in support tools, technical documentation, and reliability information to provide power electronics engineers with the design resources necessary to implement SiC power devices into the next generation of power systems.

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