Loss and conducted noise characteristics for CCM PFC circuit with SiC-Schottky barrier diode

Abstract

Active power-factor correction (PFC) circuits are commonly used in the first stage of single-phase AC/DC power converters to improve the power factor and low-order harmonic distortion. In continuous current mode (CCM) PFC circuits, the reverse recovery current of a PN diode is induced during its turn-off following the turn-on operation of a MOSFET, which causes not only a switching loss but also a switching noise in the PFC circuit. This study investigates the loss and conducted noise characteristics of a PFC circuit by comparing the difference among silicon PiN diodes, silicon Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs), and silicon carbide SBDs.