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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 811 records · Page 45
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

A High Temperature Silicon Carbide mosfet Power Module With Integrated Silicon-On-Insulator-Based Gate Drive

Here we present a board-level integrated silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET power module for high temperature and high power density application. Specifically, a silicon-on-insulator (SOI)-based gate driver capable of operating at 200°C ambient temperature is designed and fabricated. The sourcing and sinking current capability of the gate driver are tested under various ambient temperatures. Also, a 1200 V/100 A SiC MOSFET phase-leg power module is developed utilizing high temperature packaging technologies. The static characteristics, switching performance, and short-circuit behavior of the fabricated power module are fully evaluated at different temperatures. Moreover, a buck converter prototype composed of the SOI gate driver and SiC power module is built for high temperature continuous operation. The converter is operated at different switching frequencies up to 100 kHz, with its junction temperature monitored by a thermosensitive electrical parameter and compared with thermal simulation results. The experimental results from the continuous operation demonstrate the high temperature capability of the power module at a junction temperature greater than 225°C.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Temperature-Dependent Short-Circuit Capability of Silicon Carbide Power MOSFETs

Our paper presents a comprehensive short-circuit ruggedness evaluation and numerical investigation of up-to-date commercial silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs. The short-circuit capability of three types of commercial 1200-V SiC MOSFETs is tested under various conditions, with case temperatures from 25 to 200 degrees C and dc bus voltages from 400 to 750 V. It is found that the commercial SiC MOSFETs can withstand short-circuit current for only several microseconds with a dc bus voltage of 750 V and case temperature of 200 degrees C. Moreover, the experimental short-circuit behaviors are compared, and analyzed through numerical thermal dynamic simulation. Specifically, an electrothermal model is built to estimate the device internal temperature distribution, considering the temperature-dependent thermal properties of SiC material. Based on the temperature information, a leakage current model is derived to calculate the main leakage current components (i.e., thermal, diffusion, and avalanche generation currents). Finally, numerical results show that the short-circuit failure mechanisms of SiC MOSFETs can be thermal generation current induced thermal runaway or high-temperature-related gate oxide damage.

4H↗
DOE OSTI2016

Model-Based Dead Time Optimization for Voltage-Source Converters Utilizing Silicon Carbide Semiconductors

Dead time significantly affects the reliability, power quality, and efficiency of voltage-source converters. For silicon carbide (SiC) devices, considering the high sensitivity of turn-off time to the operating conditions (> 5× difference between light load and full load) and characteristics of inductive loads (> 2× difference between motor load and inductor), as well as large additional energy loss induced by the freewheeling diode conduction during the superfluous dead time (~15% of the switching loss), then the traditional fixed dead time setting becomes inappropriate. This paper introduces an approach to adaptively regulate the dead time considering the current operating condition and load characteristics via synthesizing online monitored turn-off switching parameters in the microcontroller with an embedded preset optimization model. Here, based on a buck converter built with 1200-V SiC MOSFETs, the experimental results show that the proposed method is able to ensure reliability and reduce power loss by 12% at full load and 18.2% at light load (8% of the full load in this case study).

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION↗
DOE OSTI2020

Busbar Design and Optimization for Voltage Overshoot Mitigation of a Silicon Carbide High-Power Three-Phase T-Type Inverter

The silicon carbide (SiC) devices have faster switching speed than that of the conventional silicon (Si) devices, which however may cause excessive device voltage overshoot. Larger gate resistance can help to restrain the overshoot, it however slows down the switching speed and increases switching losses. There are other methods that can mitigate the voltage overshoot, e.g., using low-inductance busbars, adding snubber circuits, etc. In this article, the busbar design for a 250-kW SiC three-level T-type inverter is investigated. The current commutation loops (CCLs) are first analyzed using a single-phase equivalent circuit. Then the detailed busbar design methods, especially a 3-D busbar design concept, are proposed to select the optimal stacking order for the multilayer laminated busbar and to address constraints posed by the physical terminal arrangements of SiC modules and dc-link capacitors. The stray inductance in each CCL is extracted via a finite element analysis and validated on the actual inverter busbar prototypes using an impedance analyzer. To further minimize the busbar stray inductance, a hybrid busbar structure with printed circuit board based buffer circuit using high-frequency decoupling capacitors is designed and evaluated in this article. Lastly, the effectiveness of the designed busbars as well as the buffer circuit are validated using experimental studies.

42 ENGINEERING↗
DOE OSTI2018

Suppressing η-phase development in steel-cemented tungsten carbide: A spark plasma sintering study

We describe the phase stability of a cemented tungsten carbide prepared using a high-vanadium tool steel as the cementing/binder phase and confirm suppression of (Fe, W) 6 C η-phase formation, attributed to the preferential formation of a V 0.78 W 0.22 C 1-x phase that exists as islands within the Fe-rich binder matrix. The samples were prepared using spark plasma sintering (SPS), starting from commercially available WC and A11-LVC tool steel powders. The starting powders were ball milled adding 10, 15, and 20 vol.% steel. An A11-LVC tool steel was chosen as a low-cost hard steel (49 HRC) that does not contain Ni or Co but has a high vanadium (~9 wt.%) and carbon (~1.75 wt.%) content. Our results show that sintering by SPS can produce high-density (>98%) WC-steel specimens in which the matrix wets the WC grain surfaces and formation of the brittle η-phase is avoided. The η phase is often regarded as embrittling and undesirable, and its presence can result in degradation of mechanical properties. Microhardness values for the WC-10 and WC-15 vol.% steel samples were 12.3 ± 1.2 and 13.0 ± 0.9 GPa, respectively, whereas the fracture toughness values were 8.83 ± 0.48 and 8.81 ± 0.61 MPa·m 1/2 , respectively.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

3D printing of high-purity silicon carbide

A method for advanced manufacturing of silicon carbide offering complete freedom in geometric complexity in the three-dimensional space is described. The method combines binder jet printing and chemical vapor infiltration in a process capable of yielding a high-purity, fully crystalline ceramic—attributes essential for ideal performance in very high-temperature applications or in the presence of displacement damage. Thermal conductivity and characteristic equibiaxial flexural strength of the resulting monolithic SiC at room temperature are 37 W·(m·K)-1 and 297 MPa, respectively.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Observed volatilization behavior of silicon carbide in flowing hydrogen above 2000 K

In this work, the intrinsic compatibility of silicon carbide (SiC) and hydrogen (H 2 ) at high temperatures (2000-2473 K) and pressure near one atmosphere was evaluated through a combination of thermodynamic calculations and hot hydrogen exposure testing. Thermodynamic calculations predict the decomposition of SiC in a hydrogen environment to form free silicon (Si) and free carbon (C). Free Si is predicted to vaporize from the surface as a volatile species, while free C may interact with H 2 to form the hydrocarbons CH 4 (T < 2100 K) or C 2 H 2 (T > 2100 K). Coupons of high purity chemical vapor deposition (CVD) β-SiC were exposed to slowly flowing hydrogen at temperatures ranging between 2000 and 2473 K. SiC experienced active attack as the result of H 2 exposure, exhibiting linear weight loss kinetics and an Arrhenius dependence of weight loss on exposure temperature. The linear volatilization constant was experimentally evaluated to correspond with an activation energy of 370 ± 18 kJ/mol. Due to the dependence of observed corrosion rates on gas velocity, corrosion of SiC in flowing H 2 was determined to be governed by external mass transfer of volatile Si species through the boundary layer. Experimentally derived mass losses were in good agreement with mass losses predicted by a boundary layer limited gas diffusion model.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Environmental stability of additively manufactured siliconized silicon carbide for applications in hybrid energy systems

A key consideration for the successful operation of hybrid energy systems will be the environmental stability of materials used for their construction, particularly when experiencing service environments containing water vapor at high temperatures. Here, we report results from the characterization of siliconized silicon carbide (Si-SiC) prepared via binder jet additive manufacturing and reactive silicon melt infiltration after being exposed to environments representative of those in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) anodes, and to exhaust gases inside a microturbine operating on natural gas. In both cases, it was found that oxide scales formed on the surface and that these scales were dense, continuous, and well-bonded to the substrates, although there was evidence of transverse and longitudinal cracking most likely as a result of mismatches in the thermal expansion of the scale and the substrate. Measured values of the thickness of the oxide scale were compared to those predicted by parabolic oxidation kinetics of silicon, but the potential effects of silica volatilization induced by water vapor, and silica reduction when exposed to hydrogen are discussed. The overall results showed that the oxide scale is expected to be protective under the conditions of hybrid power generation systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Selective laser sintering and spark plasma sintering of (Zr,Nb,Ta,Ti,W)C compositionally complex carbide ceramics

Abstract Two advanced manufacturing processes, spark plasma sintering (SPS) and selective laser sintering (SLS), have been developed for synthesis of (Zr,Nb,Ta,Ti,W)C compositionally complex carbide (CCC) via reactive sintering of a powder mixture of constitute monocarbides. X‐ray diffraction analysis confirmed that the single‐phase CCC can be formed by both SPS and SLS. While a homogenous microstructure with uniform metal element distributions was developed during SPS, three‐layer microstructures with a thin TiC‐rich layer and two TaC‐rich layers along with a TiO 2 ‐rich surface layer containing W nanoparticles were formed during SLS. In addition, cellular structures with W, Zr, and Ti element segregation and dislocations on cell boundaries were observed in the SLS‐CCC sample, indicating the effect of nonequilibrium conditions on microstructure formation during laser melting followed by rapid cooling and solidification process. Compared to the SPS‐CCC sample, the SLS‐CCC showed enhanced hardness and reduced thermal conductivity, which may be related to their unique cellular structures.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Gas source molecular beam epitaxy of scandium nitride on silicon carbide and gallium nitride surfaces

Scandium nitride (ScN) is a group IIIB transition metal nitride semiconductor with numerous potential applications in electronic and optoelectronic devices due to close lattice matching with gallium nitride (GaN). However, prior investigations of ScN have focused primarily on heteroepitaxial growth on substrates with a high lattice mismatch of 7%–20%. In this study, the authors have investigated ammonia (NH{sub 3}) gas source molecular beam epitaxy (NH{sub 3}-GSMBE) of ScN on more closely lattice matched silicon carbide (SiC) and GaN surfaces (<3% mismatch). Based on a thermodynamic analysis of the ScN phase stability window, NH{sub 3}-GSMBE conditions of 10{sup −5}–10{sup −4} Torr NH{sub 3} and 800–1050 °C where selected for initial investigation. In-situ x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ex-situ Rutherford backscattering measurements showed all ScN films grown using these conditions were stoichiometric. For ScN growth on 3C-SiC (111)-(√3 × √3)R30° carbon rich surfaces, the observed attenuation of the XPS Si 2p and C 1s substrate core levels with increasing ScN thickness indicated growth initiated in a layer-by-layer fashion. This was consistent with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images of 100–200 nm thick films that revealed featureless surfaces. In contrast, ScN films grown on 3C-SiC (111)-(3 × 3) and 3C-SiC (100)-(3 × 2) silicon rich surfaces were found to exhibit extremely rough surfaces in SEM. ScN films grown on both 3C-SiC (111)-(√3 × √3)R30° and 2H-GaN (0001)-(1 × 1) epilayer surfaces exhibited hexagonal (1 × 1) low energy electron diffraction patterns indicative of (111) oriented ScN. X-ray diffraction ω-2θ rocking curve scans for these same films showed a large full width half maximum of 0.29° (1047 arc sec) consistent with transmission electron microscopy images that revealed the films to be poly-crystalline with columnar grains oriented at ≈15° to the [0001] direction of the 6H-SiC (0001) substrate. In-situ reflection electron energy loss spectroscopy measurements determined the band-gap for the NH{sub 3}-GSMBE ScN films to be 1.5 ± 0.3 eV, and thermal probe measurements indicated all ScN films to be n-type. The four point probe sheet resistance of the ScN films was observed to increase with decreasing growth temperature and decreased with unintentional oxygen incorporation. Hg probe capacitance–voltage measurements indicated N{sub D}-N{sub A} decreased with decreasing growth temperature from 10{sup 19} to 10{sup 20}/cm{sup 3} for the lowest resistivity films to ≅5 × 10{sup 16}/cm{sup 3} for the highest resistivity films. In-situ ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements additionally showed the valence band maximum moving from 1.4 to 0.8 eV below the Fermi level with decreasing growth temperature consistent with the increased resistivity and reduction in carrier concentration. These results suggest that additional reductions in ScN carrier concentrations can be achieved via continued optimization of ScN growth conditions and selection of substrate orientation and surface termination.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Atomic layer deposited nanocrystalline tungsten carbides thin films as a metal gate and diffusion barrier for Cu metallization

Tungsten carbides (WC{sub x}) thin films were deposited on thermally grown SiO{sub 2} substrates by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using a fluorine- and nitrogen-free W metallorganic precursor, tungsten tris(3-hexyne) carbonyl [W(CO)(CH{sub 3}CH{sub 2}C ≡ CCH{sub 2}CH{sub 3}){sub 3}], and N{sub 2} + H{sub 2} plasma as the reactant at deposition temperatures between 150 and 350 °C. The present ALD-WC{sub x} system showed an ALD temperature window between 200 and 250 °C, where the growth rate was independent of the deposition temperature. Typical ALD characteristics, such as self-limited film growth and a linear dependency of the film grown on the number of ALD cycles, were observed, with a growth rate of 0.052 nm/cycle at a deposition temperature of 250 °C. The ALD-WC{sub x} films formed a nanocrystalline structure with grains, ∼2 nm in size, which consisted of hexagonal W{sub 2}C, WC, and nonstoichiometric cubic β-WC{sub 1−x} phase. Under typical deposition conditions at 250 °C, an ALD-WC{sub x} film with a resistivity of ∼510 μΩ cm was deposited and the resistivity of the ALD-WC{sub x} film could be reduced even further to ∼285 μΩ cm by further optimizing the reactant pulsing conditions, such as the plasma power. The step coverage of ALD-WC{sub x} film was ∼80% on very small sized and dual trenched structures (bottom width of 15 nm and aspect ratio of ∼6.3). From ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, the work function of the ALD-WC{sub x} film was determined to be 4.63 eV. Finally, the ultrathin (∼5 nm) ALD-WC{sub x} film blocked the diffusion of Cu, even up to 600 °C, which makes it a promising a diffusion barrier material for Cu interconnects.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Boron carbide films with reduced nodular defect density deposited by full-face erosion radio-frequency magnetron sputtering

Boron carbide coatings deposited by sputtering with conventional planar magnetrons exhibit nodular growth defects. Here, we demonstrate that the density of nodular defects in B 4 C films can be greatly reduced by using a full-face-erosion magnetron source that achieves a more uniform target erosion by sweeping the confining magnetic field over the target surface. Here, we systematically study properties of B 4 C films deposited on substrates with different tilt angles and demonstrate deposition of ultrathick films with compressive residual stress below 200MPa.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Theoretical analysis of the possibilities of Zernike phase contrast method in hard X rays for nondestructive imaging of micropipes in a silicon carbide single crystal

The possibilities of using Zernike phase contrast in hard X rays for imaging micropipes in a silicon carbide single crystal are analyzed by numerical simulation. Calculations are performed for the experimental conditions characteristic of third-generation synchrotron radiation sources. A scheme is considered where the focusing element is a parabolic refracting lens and the phase-shifting element is mounted at the point of the source image. It is shown that micropipe cross sections by a beam with a longitudinal diameter reaching 10 {mu}m are imaged by the lens without distortions. At the same time, the lens makes it possible to magnify the image several tens of times. The cross sections that are significantly elongated along the beam are imaged with artifacts; however, their structure can also be recovered. It is shown that polychromaticity of radiation does not significantly affect the object imaging.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2013

Neutron diffraction study of the formation of ordered antiphase domains in cubic titanium carbide TiC{sub 0.60}

A series of superstructural reflections (described within the sp. gr. Fd3m) are found to be split into three symmetric parts in the neutron powder diffraction pattern of titanium carbide TiC{sub 0.60} annealed at a temperature of 600 Degree-Sign C. No splitting of superstructural reflections is observed in the neutron diffraction pattern of TiC{sub 0.60} annealed at relatively high temperatures (780 Degree-Sign C). This phenomenon can be explained by that fact that the ordering of carbon atoms at relatively high temperatures (780 Degree-Sign C) is accompanied by the formation of randomly oriented rather large antiphase domains (APDs) (450 A). At relatively low temperatures (600 Degree-Sign C), stacking faults arise in the arrangement of partially ordered carbon atoms. In this case, relatively small ordered APDs (290 A) are formed, along with disordered ones.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2016

Study of a macrodefect in a silicon carbid single crystal by means of X-ray phase contrast

The morphology of a macrodefect in a single-crystal silicon carbide wafer has been investigated by the computer simulation of an experimental X-ray phase-contrast image. A micropipe, i.e., a long cavity with a small (elliptical in the general case) cross section, in a single crystal has been considered as a macrodefect. A far-field image of micropipe has been measured with the aid of synchrotron radiation without a monochromator. The parameters of micropipe elliptical cross section are determined based on one projection in two directions: parallel and perpendicular to the X-ray beam propagation direction, when scanning along the pipe axis. The results demonstrate the efficiency of the phase contrast method supplemented with computer simulation for studying such macrodefects when the defect position in the sample volume is unknown beforehand.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2015

Study of the synthesis of nanocrystalline mixed tantalum–zirconium carbide

The synthesis conditions of refractory tantalum–zirconium carbide Ta{sub 0.8}Zr{sub 0.2}C on the basis of Ta{sub 2}O{sub 5}–ZrO{sub 2}–C ultrafine initial blend prepared via the sol–gel method are explored. The initial blend is prepared via hydrolysis in the presence of Ta(OC{sub 5}H{sub 11}){sub 5} and [Zr(O{sub 2}C{sub 5}H{sub 7}){sub 4–x}(OC{sub 5}H{sub 11}){sub x}] carbon source polymer solutions, gel drying, and carbonization at a temperature of 450°C. A series of the carbothermal synthesis experiments is implemented at various temperatures and exposure times. The synthesis conditions are shown to affect not only the phase composition of products but also their oxidation resistance related to the particle size.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2011

Formation of graphene layers by vacuum sublimation of silicon carbide using a scanning heat source

The kinetics of surface graphitization during dissociative vacuum evaporation of silicon carbide, under the effect of a scanning heat source, is studied. A model of the process is developed. The model provides a means for theoretically treating the dynamics of formation and the number of residual carbon atomic layers. The vapor stoichiometric coefficient which ensures the minimization of the number of structural defects in graphene, is optimized at the sublimation temperature: {theta} = 1/{eta}(T{sub max}). The proposed method can be used as a basis for graphene production technology.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2013

Anisotropy of the solid-state epitaxy of silicon carbide in silicon

A new method for the solid-state synthesis of epitaxial layers is developed, in which a substrate participates in the chemical reaction and the reaction product grows not on the substrate surface, as in traditional epitaxial methods, but inside the substrate. This method offers new opportunities for elastic-energy relaxation due to a mechanism operating only in anisotropic media, specifically, the attraction of point defects formed during the chemical reaction. The attracting point centers of dilatation form relatively stable objects, dilatation dipoles, which significantly reduce the total elastic energy. It is shown that, in crystals with cubic symmetry, the most favorable arrangement of dipoles is the 〈111〉 direction. The theory is tested by growing silicon carbide (SiC) films on Si (111) substrates by chemical reaction with carbon monoxide CO. High-quality single-crystal SiC-4H films with thicknesses of up to 100 nm are grown on Si (111). Ellipsometric analysis showed that the optical constants of the SiC-4H films are significantly anisotropic. This is caused not only by the lattice hexagonality but also by a small amount (about 2–6%) of carbon atoms remaining in the film due to dilatation dipoles. It is shown that the optical constants of the carbon impurity correspond to strongly anisotropic highly oriented pyrolytic graphite.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗