Investigating SiC MOSFET body diode's light emission as temperature-sensitive electrical parameter

In this paper, the light emission of SiC MOSFETs during reverse conduction, caused by the Light Emission Diode (LED)-like behaviour of the body diode, is studied and investigated. The photoemission from a 1.2 kV/20 A commercial device has been measured experimentally using a silicon photodiode. A behavioural characterization of the light output under different junction temperatures and current values has been performed. This allows the implementation of a fast, inexpensive and non-invasive temperature sensing strategy for high-voltage SiC MOSFET chips based on the measurement of light emission during reverse conduction.