High voltage stress effects on power MOSFETs in switching DC-DC converters

Abstract

Power MOSFETs are frequently used components is DC-DC converters as a switch. In electrical operating conditions power MOSFETs can be exposed to high voltage stress. This stress results transistor degradation whereupon change in transistor parameters. In this work, power MOSFET degradation effects on buck and boost converters were examined. To perform this, power MOSFETs degraded with high voltage stress experimentally and parameter changes determined. Converter circuits simulated before and after the degradation by adopting the transistor parameter changes in Spice and circuit performance analyzed.