A SiC and Si Hybrid Five-Level Unidirectional Rectifier for Medium Voltage Applications

Following the continuous development of wide bandgap (WBG) devices and multilevel converter technology, medium voltage active front ends are becoming promising in future high-power-density and high-power applications. However, the cost issue is one of the major drawbacks, which stops the WBG devices from being widely applied in high-power areas. This article proposes a silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon (Si) hybrid five-level unidirectional rectifier. It requires only four SiC MOSFETs with relatively low blocking voltage and four Si diodes. Meanwhile, by adding snubber capacitors, all the Si devices are with low-speed switching, and the voltage stresses of fast SiC MOSFETs are minimized. In this article, operational analysis and carrier-based phase-disposition pulsewidth modulation scheme for this circuit are discussed in detail. The capacitor voltage balancing and unity power factor are both realized. Simulation and scaled-down experimental results are demonstrated to verify the proposed rectifier. Furthermore, the comparison of the hybrid five-level rectifiers is given to show the advantages of the proposed rectifier in terms of voltage stress, efficiency, and cost.

Automated summary

This article proposes a hybrid five-level unidirectional rectifier that combines silicon carbide (SiC) and silicon (Si) to address the cost issue of wide bandgap (WBG) devices in high-power applications. By adding snubber capacitors, all the Si devices operate at low-speed switching, minimizing the voltage stresses of the SiC MOSFETs. The operational analysis and carrier-based phase-disposition pulsewidth modulation scheme for this circuit are discussed in detail, achieving capacitor voltage balancing and unity power factor.