SuperJunction Cascode, a Configuration to Break the Silicon Switching Frequency Limit

Abstract

This paper evaluates the SuperJunction MOSFET in cascode configuration with a low-voltage silicon MOSFET. The structure combines the good switching performance provided by the cascode configuration with advantages of the silicon technology as the robustness, the maturity and the low-cost. The objective of this paper is to elucidate and to demonstrate the reduction of switching losses of SuperJunction MOSFETs in cascode configuration with respect to their standalone counterparts (directly driven). A detailed simulation analysis of power loss contributions is carried out under hard-switching operation. Eventually, experimental evidence is provided by using a boost converter (100 V-to-400 V) in continuous conduction mode for a wide range of switching frequency (100 kHz-to-400 kHz) and output power (180W-to-500W).