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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 217 records · Page 12
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

S-band acoustoelectric amplifier in an InGaAs-AlScN-SiC architecture

Here, we report on an acoustoelectric slab waveguide heterostructure for phonon amplification using a thin Al 0.58 Sc 0.42 N film grown directly on a 4H-SiC substrate with an ultra-thin In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As epitaxial film heterogeneously integrated onto the surface of the Al 0.58 Sc 0.42 N. The aluminum scandium nitride film grown directly on silicon carbide enables a thin (∼850 nm thick) piezoelectric film to be deposited on a thermally conductive bulk substrate (370 W/m K for 4H-SiC); the high thermal conductivity of the substrate, large mobility of the semiconductor (∼7000 cm 2 /V s), and low carrier concentration (∼5 × 10 15 cm −3 ) yield low self-heating. A Sezawa mode with optimal overlap between the peak of its evanescent electric field and the semiconductor charge carriers is supported. The high velocity of the heterostructure materials allows us to operate the Sezawa mode amplifier at 3.05 GHz, demonstrating a gain of 500 dB/cm (40 dB in 800 μm). Additionally, a terminal end-to-end radio frequency gain of 7.7 dB and a nonreciprocal transmission of 52.6 dB are achieved with a dissipated DC power of 2.3 mW. In conclusion, the power added efficiency and acoustic noise figure are also characterized.

Hackett, L.↗
DOE OSTI2024

Nano-infrared imaging of epitaxial graphene on SiC revealing doping and thickness inhomogeneities

Here, we report on a nano-infrared (IR) imaging and spectroscopy study of epitaxial graphene on silicon carbide (SiC) by using scattering-type scanning near-field optical microscopy (s-SNOM). With nano-IR imaging, we reveal in real space microscopic domains with distinct IR contrasts. By analyzing the nano-IR, atomic force microscopy, and scanning tunneling microscopy imaging data, we conclude that the imaged domains correspond to single-layer graphene, bilayer graphene (BLG), and higher-doped BLG. With nano-IR spectroscopy, we find that graphene can screen the SiC phonon resonance, and the screening is stronger at more conductive sample regions. Our work offers insights into the rich surface properties of epitaxial graphene and demonstrates s-SNOM as an efficient and effective tool in characterizing graphene and possibly other two-dimensional materials.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2021

Theoretical study of intrinsic defects in cubic silicon carbide 3C-SiC

Using the local moment counter charge (LMCC) method to accurately represent the asymptotic electrostatic boundary conditions within density functional theory supercell calculations, we present a comprehensive analysis of the atomic structure and energy levels of point defects in cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC). Finding that the classical long-range dielectric screening outside the supercell induced by a charged defect is a significant contributor to the total energy. we describe and validate a modified Jost screening model to evaluate this polarization energy. This leads to bulk-converged defect levels in finite size supercells. With the LMCC boundary conditions and a standard Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) exchange correlation functional, the computed defect level spectrum exhibits no band gap problem: the range of defect levels spans ~2.4 eV, an effective defect band gap that agrees with the experimental band gap. Comparing with previous literature, our LMCC-PBE defect results are in consistent agreement with the hybrid-exchange functional results of Oda et al. [J. Chem. Phys. 139, 124707 (2013)] rather than their PBE results. The difference with their PBE results is attributed to their use of a conventional jellium approximation rather than the more rigorous LMCC approach for handling charged supercell boundary conditions. The difference between standard dft and hybrid functional results for defect levels lies not in a band gap problem but rather in solving a boundary condition problem. The LMCC-PBE entirely mitigates the effect of the band gap problem on defect levels. The more computationally economical PBE enables a systematic exploration of 3C-SiC defects, where, most notably, we find that the silicon vacancy undergoes Jahn-Teller-induced distortions from the previously assumed T d symmetry, and that the divacancy, like the silicon vacancy, exhibits a site-shift bistability in p -type conditions.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2021

Theoretical and experimental study of the nitrogen-vacancy center in 4H-SiC.

Using first-principles calculations and magnetic resonance experiments, we investigated the physical properties of the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in 4H-SiC, a promising spin qubit. Our predictive theoretical model in conjunction with experimental measurements reveals a large sensitivity to strain and symmetry. The measured and computed zero-phonon lines (ZPLs) are in agreement and show a consistent trend as a function of the defect location in the crystal. The computed ZPLs are extremely sensitive to the geometrical configurations of the ground and excited states, and large supercells with more than 2 000 atoms are required to obtain accurate numerical results. We find that the computed decoherence time of the basal NV centers at zero magnetic field is substantially larger than that of the axial configurations. Furthermore, at natural nuclear spin abundance and zero field, the Hahn-echo coherence time of one of the basal configurations is similar to that of the axial divacancy in isotopically purified SiC.

Zhu, Yizhi↗
DOE OSTI2022

Quantitative analysis of dislocations in 4H-SiC wafers using synchrotron X-ray topography with ultra-high angular resolution

Utilization of an Si(331) beam conditioner together with an Si(111) double-crystal monochromator (DCM) enables the angular resolution of synchrotron X-ray topography to be increased by an order of magnitude compared with grazing-incidence topography or back-reflection topography conducted with the DCM alone. This improved technique with extremely small beam divergence is referred to as synchrotron X-ray plane-wave topography (SXPWT). This study demonstrates that the rocking curve width of 4H-SiC 0008 in PWT is only 2.5" and thus the lattice distortion at the scale of 1" will significantly affect the diffracted intensity. This work reports the ultra-high angular resolution in SXPWT which enables detailed probing of the lattice distortion outside the dislocation core in 4H-SiC, where the sign of the Burgers vector can be readily determined through comparison with ray-tracing simulations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

The Impact of the Lightning Surge on SiC-based Medium-voltage Three-phase Four-wire Grid-connected Converters

The surge voltage induced by lightning will generate an inrush current in a grid-connected converter. It may not be large in Si-based converters because of the large grid side inductive filter. However, for SiC-based multi-level converters, the inrush current could be very large due to the small filter inductance, which is selected based on the current harmonic consideration. Most previous work focuses on system-level lightning protection while the converter-level impact, especially the internal components of the converter, is rarely discussed. This paper presents the analysis of the impact of the lightning surge on a 10 kV SiC MOSFET-based 13.8 kV three-phase four-wire grid-connected converter. The IEEE arrester model and the combined wave generator model in IEC 61000-4-5 standard are used to evaluate the inrush current, DC-link overvoltage, and component-to-ground potential of the converter. Analysis and simulation results have been provided to demonstrate the impact of lightning on the grid-connected converter. It is found that large inrush current occurs due to the small filter inductance, and the neutral-to-ground impedance impacts both the inrush current and the neutral point-to-ground potential.

Li, Haiguo↗
DOE OSTI2021

Switching Characteristics of a 1.2 kV, 50 mΩ SiC Monolithic Bidirectional Field Effect Transistor (BiDFET) with Integrated JBS Diodes

—The switching performance of large area (1cm x 1cm) monolithic 1.2 kV 50 mΩ 4H-SiC bidirectional field effect transistor (BiDFET) with integrated JBS diodes is reported for the first time. The devices were fabricated in a 6-inch commercial foundry and then packaged in a custom-designed four-terminal module. The switching performance of the BiDFET has been observed to be 1.4x better than that of its internal JBSFETs. Dynamic characterization was performed at 800 V with different gate resistances, current levels and case temperatures. An increase in switching losses was observed for the BiDFET with increasing gate resistance and current level as observed for SiC power MOSFETs. The BiDFET showed a 9% reduction in total switching loss from 25 °C to 150 °C with a current of 10 A.

Silicon Carbide, Monolithic, Bidirectional, FourQu↗
DOE OSTI2020

Design of 1500V/200kW 99.6% Efficiency Dual Active Bridge Converters Based on 1700V SiC Power MOSFET Module

High efficiency, high density and galvanically isolated power converters are attractive for medium voltage high power applications. This paper presents a 1.5kV/200kW bidirectional Dual Active Bridge (DAB) converter using a newly developed 1.7kV SiC MOSFET module. The intended application is megawatt scale solid state transformer (SST) and 1500V PV inverter application using modular architecture. One novel model to estimate the turn-off loss using snubber capacitors is proposed and experimentally verified. An optimized PCB-based busbar design is introduced to reduce the voltage overshoot across the SiC device, making the design suitable for 1.5kVdc applications. The mechanism of how the optimized PCB-based busbar can reduce the voltage overshoot is quantitatively interpreted and experimentally verified. The DAB converter achieved an efficiency of 98.85% at 200kW and a maximum of 99.53% at 60kW. The maximum efficiency for series-resonant mode is 99.6% at 85kW and 99.3% at 200kW. The power density is 26W/inch3 (1.6MW/m3) which is much higher than traditional industry products.

Xu, Wei↗
DOE OSTI2022

Design Considerations for Developing 1.2 kV 4H-SiC BiDFET-enabled Power Conversion Systems

Bidirectional switches are essential for cycloconverter and matrix converter applications to facilitate single-stage AC-AC conversion without intermediate energy storage elements. The 1.2 kV 4H-SiC BiDFET was developed as the first monolithic bidirectional SiC power transistor. This paper describes the design considerations taken into account while creating the BiDFET device and developing custom packages for housing the switch in discrete form for low power applications and in module form for high-power applications. The realized switches are characterized for their on-state and switching performance. The versatility of the BiDFET device is demonstrated by operating a single BiDFET H-bridge in voltage-source-inverter and current-source-inverter topologies only by varying the gate bias on the individual BiDFETs and reversing the input-output connections.

Bidirectional, Silicon Carbide, Half-Bridge Module↗
DOE OSTI2024

Stacked-Die SiC Half-Bridge Module with Minimum Loop Inductance

Minimizing parasitic inductance of power modules is needed to advance their electrical performance. Innovation in the past decade has driven down the inductance of SiC half-bridge power modules to around 1–2 nH by using multilayer, embedded, and hybrid structures. Further reduction becomes difficult, mainly limited by the excessive interconnects required for the planar placement of vertical conducting chips. To address this, a vertically stacked-die approach is proposed in this paper, taking advantage of the vertical conducting nature of the SiC chips. With ceramic decoupling capacitors integrated, 0.48 nH overall loop inductance is achieved and validated by experimental measurement. This paper also discusses potential approaches to further reduce the inductance.

Ribeiro, Pedro↗
DOE OSTI2026

Multi-Objective Boundary Analysis of Discrete and Integrated SiC FET Modular Non-inverting Buck and Boost Converters for Fuel Cell EVs

This paper presents a multi-objective analysis of discrete and integrated SiC FET-based non-inverting buck-boost converter modules for modular fuel cell electric vehicle (EV) systems. Two converter ratings, 60 kW and 90 kW, are evaluated for both implementations, scalable up to 420 kW and 450 kW, respectively. Performance is assessed across efficiency, volumetric and gravimetric power density, cost, thermal stress, and estimated lifetime, where lifetime is derived from SiC FET B10 power-cycling data and junction temperature variations at rated power. A normalized overall performance index combined with a Pareto-boundary framework is used to identify configurations that optimally balance competing objectives. Results show that most configurations lie on the Pareto front, providing balanced trade-offs, while certain high-power discrete (90 kW at 450 kW) and integrated (60 kW at 180−420 kW) configurations are dominated. In general, discrete modules are more favorable for lower-power modular systems due to higher power density and lower cost, whereas integrated modules become more advantageous at higher power levels due to improved thermal behavior and longer lifetime. These findings provide practical design guidance for scalable fuel cell converter architectures and highlight the importance of system-level trade-offs in modular power electronics design.

Asa, Erdem [ORNL] (ORCID:0000000190884812)↗
DOE OSTI2023

SiC Microchannel Heat Sinks for High Heat Flux Dissipation of 1 kW/cm 2

Thermal management has become a major barrier in the development of high-power micro-devices. Microchannel heat sinks (MCHS) are a promising method to dissipate high heat fluxes from high power density devices. Reducing the thermal resistance will reduce the temperature increase of the electronic device, allowing for higher powers to be achieved while maintaining a safe operating temperature. This paper reports on the use of silicon carbide (Sic) microchannels to dissipate high heat fluxes up to 1 kW/cm 2 over a footprint of 0.25 cm 2 . The use of high aspect ratio and decreased hydraulic diameter channels has allowed for very low thermal resistances to be achieved at higher heat duties compared to previous studies. The experiments performed resulted in heater temperatures of less than 60 °C and thermal resistances as low as 0.024 cm 2 . ° $C$/W between the heater surface and fluid inlet temperature. In conclusion, the demonstrated thermal performance of the SiC MCHS is an encouraging means for dissipating heat from high power density microelectronic devices.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2022

A 4 kV/120 A SiC Solid-State DC Circuit Breaker Powered By a Load-Independent IPT System

This article introduces a 4 kV/120 A solid-state dc circuit breaker (DCCB) based on discrete SiC mosfets. The DCCB is designed in a five-layer tower structure. Each layer consists of a circular main conduction branch and an attached gate driver. There are two primary benefits of the proposed DCCB. First, it reduces conduction loss with multiple devices in parallel. Second, it achieves an ultrafast response speed with SiC mosfets. Moreover, the gate drivers of the DCCB are powered by a domino inductive power transfer (IPT) system. It achieves the load-independent constant-voltage output characteristics, which means the outputs are immune to load variations. Additionally, an IPT system prototype is implemented to test the power transfer performance. At 500-kHz frequency, the total output power reaches 15.73 W, which is sufficient to power on five gate drivers, with a peak transfer efficiency of 75.4%. The IPT system is tested to power a 4 kV/120 A DCCB prototype. It validates that the DCCB is effective to turn off 120 A current within 3.5 μs.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2019

Reduced Common-Mode Voltage PWM Scheme for Full-SiC Three-Level Uninterruptible Power Supply With Small DC-Link Capacitors

In this article, a pulsewidth modulation (PWM) scheme for three-level full-SiC uninterruptible power supplies is developed to achieve a high power density. Two key passive components are selected for size reduction of the ac-ac stage: common-mode (CM) EMI filter, and dc-link capacitors. To reduce the CM noise, a new vector combination is proposed based on synchronous switching among three-phases. The proposed combinations align CM voltage (CMV) to be a single pulse per switching period. Owing to the simple shape, CMV cancellation between a three-level rectifier and inverter can be maximally utilized. A transition between the three combinations can control the drift of neutral point voltage. An equivalent carrier-based implementation is developed. Second, a simple algorithm to compensate neutral point voltage fluctuation is proposed both for differential mode (DM) and CM output voltage. Low-order harmonics on three-phase currents and an additional high-frequency CM noise by misaligned switching instant can be eliminated. The proposed compensation can be implemented by a simple correction on carrier slopes and injected zero-sequence voltage. The proposed PWM scheme is verified with 20-kW full-SiC UPS switching at 60 kHz with 140 μF dc-link capacitors.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2021

SiC-Based 5-kV Universal Modular Soft-Switching Solid-State Transformer (M-S4T) for Medium-Voltage DC Microgrids and Distribution Grids

Medium-voltage DC (MVDC) grids are attractive for electric aircraft and ship power systems, battery energy storage system (BESS), fast charging electric vehicle (EV), etc. Such EV or BESS applications need isolated bidirectional MVDC to LVDC or LVAC converters. However, the existing Si-based solutions cannot fulfill the requirements of a high-efficiency and robust converter for MVDC grids. This paper presents a 5 kV SiC-based universal modular solid-state transformer (SST). This universal current-source SST can interface either a LVAC or LVDC grid with a MVDC grid in single-stage power conversion, while the conventional dual active bridge (DAB) converter needs an additional inverter. The proposed SST module using 3.3 kV SiC MOSFETs and diodes is bidirectional and can serve as a building block in series or parallel for higher-voltage higher-power systems. The topology of each module is based on the soft-switching solid-state transformer (S4T) with reduced conduction loss, which features reduced EMI through controlled dv/dt, and high efficiency with full-range ZVS for main devices and ZCS for auxiliary devices. Operation principle of the modular S4T (M-S4T), capacitor voltage balancing control between the cascaded modules, design of components including a medium-voltage (MV) medium-frequency transformer (MFT) to realize a 50 kVA 5 kV DC to 600 V DC or 480 V AC M-S4T are presented. Importantly, the MV MFT prototype achieves very low leakage inductance (0.13%) and 15 kV insulation with coaxial cables and nanocrystalline cores. Here, the proposed universal modular SST is compared against the DAB solution and verified with DC-DC and DC-AC simulation and 4 kV experimental results. Significantly, the MV experimental results of a modular DC transformer with each module at MVDC are rarely covered in the literature and reported for the first time.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2021

Thermodynamics and kinetics of H adsorption and intercalation for graphene on 6 H -SiC(0001) from first-principles calculations

Previous experimental observations for H intercalation under graphene on SiC surfaces motivate the clarification of configuration stabilities and kinetic processes related to intercalation. From first-principles density-functional-theory calculations, we analyze H adsorption and intercalation for graphene on a 6H-SiC(0001) surface, where the system includes two single-atom-thick graphene layers: the top-layer graphene (TLG) and the underling buffer-layer graphene (BLG) above the terminal Si layer. Our chemical potential analysis shows that in the low-H coverage regime (described by a single H atom within a sufficiently large supercell), intercalation into the gallery between TLG and BLG or into the gallery underneath BLG is more favorable thermodynamically than adsorption on top of TLG. However, intercalation into the gallery between TLG and BLG is most favorable. We obtain energy barriers of about 1.3 and 2.3 eV for a H atom diffusing on and under TLG, respectively. From an additional analysis of the energy landscape in the vicinity of a step on the TLG, we assess how readily one guest H atom on the TLG terrace can directly penetrate the TLG into the gallery between TLG and BLG versus crossing a TLG step to access the gallery. Finally, we also perform density functional theory calculations for higher H coverages revealing a shift in favorability to intercalation of H underneath BLG and characterizing the variation with H coverage in interlayer spacings.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Heteroepitaxial growth of Ga2O3 on 4H-SiC by liquid-injection MOCVD for improved thermal management of Ga2O3 power devices

We report on the growth of monoclinic β- and orthorhombic κ-phase Ga2O3 thin films using liquid-injection metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on highly thermally conductive 4H-SiC substrates using gallium (III) acetylacetonate or tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato) gallium (III). Both gallium precursors produced the β phase, while only the use of the latter led to growth of κ-Ga2O3. Regardless of the used precursor, best results for β-Ga2O3 were achieved at a growth temperature of 700 °C and O2 flows in the range of 600–800 SCCM. A relatively narrow growth window was found for κ-Ga2O3, and best results were achieved for growth temperatures of 600 °C and the O2 flow of 800 SCCM. While phase-pure β-Ga2O3 was prepared, κ-Ga2O3 showed various degrees of parasitic β phase inclusions. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy confirmed a highly textured structure of β- and κ-Ga2O3 layers resulting from the presence of multiple in-plane domain orientations. Thermal conductivities of 53 nm-thick β-Ga2O3 (2.13 + 0.29/−0.51 W/m K) and 45 nm-thick κ-Ga2O3 (1.23 + 0.22/−0.26 W/m K) were determined by transient thermoreflectance and implications for device applications were assessed. Presented results suggest great potential of heterointegration of Ga2O3 and SiC for improved thermal management and reliability of future Ga2O3-based high power devices.

Materials Science↗
DOE OSTI2022

Longevity evaluation of SiC based alpha voltaic batteries with surface alpha sources

The alpha emitting actinide 241 Am is electrodeposited on the surface of the Pt electrode of in-house fabricated SiC Schottky diodes. With 17 nCi 241 Am directly coated on the top of a device, the 2-pi geometry yields a high energy (5.486 MeV) and a long-term irradiation accumulating to a high fluence (1.6 × 10 9 alpha particles’ infusion/month). The forward, reverse I/V, and dark current, are periodically measured to monitor key characteristics of device durability for any sign of degradation over time. The direct deposition of actinides on the surface of the device also enables the evaluation of radiation damage through alpha particles’ energy spectroscopic performance, which shows a clear spectrum degradation that can be reversed by optical excitation of the device prior to spectrum acquisition. As an analytical aide, the device performance is also simulated by Allpix 2 . Lastly, this study provides an insight into the durability of 4H-SiC as an energy converter option for alpha-voltaic batteries and the survivability in the other harsh environment found in nuclear fuel cycle, high energy physics, fission, fusion, and space exploration where rad-hard sensors are required.

Americium↗