Characterization & Package Comparison of Silicon Semiconductor Opening Switch Diodes for Pulsed Power Systems

Semiconductor opening switch (SOS) diodes are an alternative option in pulsed power electronic systems, enabling the generation of high-power nanosecond pulses. SOS diodes rely on an opening effect to transfer power to a parallel load instead of closing switch technology for energy transfer. This work characterizes and evaluates the performance of silicon SOS diodes with varying doping profile gradients. A double-loop LC testbed was designed to pulse SOS diodes to observe the SOS opening effect. Six doping profiles were compared, each with three different active area sizes. Three custom-designed packages were developed to house the devices and compared in terms of performance. Measurements were taken with single and series stacks of two and three devices to compare peak power and energy efficiency. COMSOL Multiphysics models were created to assess the thermal behavior of each package design during single pulse and repetition rate operation. The results highlight a strong dependence of electrical and thermal performance optimization on the doping profile and package thermal resistance, respectively.