Power semiconductors

What is the main advantage of raising the switching frequency of a power converter?

  1. ASwitching loss always decreases
  2. BPassive components such as inductors and capacitors can be made smaller
  3. CElectromagnetic noise always decreases
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Answer: B. Passive components such as inductors and capacitors can be made smaller

Raising the switching frequency reduces the energy that inductors and capacitors must store per cycle, so these components can be smaller, making the power supply smaller and lighter. On the other hand, switching loss and noise tend to increase, which is where SiC and GaN devices, suited to fast switching, excel.

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More Power semiconductors questions

  1. In a power device gate drive circuit, what is the effect of increasing the gate resistance?
  2. Which metric indicates how long a power device can withstand a short circuit, such as both upper and lower switches of an inverter turning on at once, without being destroyed?
  3. What is the purpose of providing a short period in which both switches are off (dead time) when switching the upper and lower switches of an inverter?
  4. Which is a known cause of degradation when current flows continuously through the body diode of a SiC MOSFET?
  5. Which is an example of an everyday product in which GaN power devices are increasingly used?