New Figure of Merit to Evaluate Volumetric and Gravimetric Power Density of 1700V SiC Power Module Semiconductors

This paper introduces a new Figure of Merit (FOMs) definition for accurately addressing the limitations of previously established FOMs in accounting for switching losses. The newly derived FOM incorporates both the switching loss ($P_{s w}$) related to switching energy ($E_{s w}$) and the conduction loss ($P_{\text {cond }}$) related to internal on-resistance ($\boldsymbol{R}_{d s(o n)}$) of semiconductors. Using this derivation, a new power loss figure of merit (PLFOM) is introduced. Additionally, based on the proposed PLFOM, two new concepts of volumetric and gravimetric power densities of power semiconductors are introduced. A comparison of proposed FOMs with previously established FOMs is discussed in detail. Furthermore, a comparative analysis of 1700 V SiC power modules demonstrates the advantages of these proposed FOMs over traditional methods, highlighting their improved precision and effectiveness in performance evaluation.