last highlighted date: 2023-02-10
Highlights
- New semiconductor materials for power switches — particularly silicon carbide (SiC) — have made designs that were previously limited by silicon’s thermal and electrical characteristics now viable. One of these designs is bridgeless totem-pole topology, which integrates the rectification and boost stage, and uses two switching branches that operate at different frequencies (see Figure 2).
- This branch has to switch at very high frequencies (about 100kHz). High power switching with higher frequencies puts greater thermal and electrical strain on the switches, so WBG semiconductor devices, such as SiC and GaN MOSFETS, are required for the converter to work safely and efficiently.