Accurate Switching Energy Measurement of Wide Band-Gap Semiconductors at Low Current

Several applications require efficiency-oriented design, in which high performance wide bandgap semiconductors are used in low power converters. Precise switching loss estimation at low current is essential to achieve accurate design, although it is not frequently addressed in the literature. This paper reviews dynamic characterization methods with focus on wide bandgap technologies. The Double Pulse and Modified Opposition methods are compared in order to highlight advantages and limitations of each one, especially at low current. Both are verified through simulations and in a real test bench, whose results are compared with datasheet curves and evaluated through a case study.