State-of-the-Art Medium- and High-Voltage Silicon Carbide Power Modules, Challenges and Mitigation Techniques: A Review

Silicon carbide (SiC) power modules have been demonstrated potential for improving power density and efficiency for low-voltage (LV) power electronics systems. This has resulted in a paradigm shift toward the development of medium- and high-voltage (MV/HV) SiC power modules to revolutionize the future power grid and transportation systems. However, designing MV/HV SiC power modules involves significant design challenges due to higher blocking voltage and exacerbation of side effects due to high switching dv/dt and di/dt of SiC devices concerns that may not be as critical as in LV module development. This article reviews the development of state-of-the-art MV/HV SiC power modules, ranging from 3.3 to 40 kV, from both industry and academia. First, a discussion on SiC modules based on voltage level is presented. This is followed by a discussion of challenges associated with designing and testing MV/HV modules - including parasitic controls, electromagnetic interference (EMI), partial discharge (PD), and thermal management - and the corresponding mitigation approaches from various perspectives. We conclude with a summary of major findings and future directions for the development of MV/HV modules.