Wolfspeed PRD-07913 Power Modules SPICE Models User Guide
Wolfspeed PRD-07913 Power Modules SPICE Models User Guide
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
© 2023 Wolfspeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Wolfspeed® and the Wolfstreak logo are registered trademarks and the 1
Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
User Guide PRD-07913
Contents
1. Introduction......................................................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 Software Recommendations ....................................................................................................................... 3
1.2 Content Overview......................................................................................................................................... 3
1.3 Quick Model Installation Guide ................................................................................................................... 4
1.3.1 LTspice Library Installation............................................................................................................... 4
1.3.2 Simetrix Installation .......................................................................................................................... 6
1.3.3 Installation for all other software ..................................................................................................... 7
1.4 Verification of model installation ................................................................................................................ 7
2. Using the Model ................................................................................................................................................... 9
2.1 Symbol Pin Descriptions / Connections ...................................................................................................... 9
2.2 Library File Customization ......................................................................................................................... 12
2.3 Alternative Software Customization ......................................................................................................... 14
3. Detailed Model Behavior Overview................................................................................................................... 14
3.1 Die Model Description ................................................................................................................................ 15
3.2 Package Model Descriptions ...................................................................................................................... 17
3.2.1 Half-Bridge ....................................................................................................................................... 17
3.2.2 Full-Bridge ....................................................................................................................................... 18
3.2.3 Six Pack ............................................................................................................................................ 20
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
© 2023 Wolfspeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Wolfspeed® and the Wolfstreak logo are registered trademarks and the 2
Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
1. Introduction
Circuit-level simulation software are powerful tools for optimizing systems that utilize Wolfspeed’s SiC power
module devices. These tools can be used to predict detailed transient behavior of these devices in their systems
to estimate voltage overshoots, efficiency, emissions, expected junction temperatures, and more. Leveraging
SPICE models can assist designers in improving their system layout to take full advantage of the capabilities of
Wolfspeed power modules. These models can reduce time and cost through virtual prototyping studies that
inform hardware decisions or facilitate optimization. Suitable models can be used to predict the influence of
parasitic elements and EMI behavior, as well as predict device failures due to destructive voltage overshoots or
thermal stress.
Using these models in other SPICE simulation tools may result in convergence
errors. Please use LTspice if possible.
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
© 2023 Wolfspeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Wolfspeed® and the Wolfstreak logo are registered trademarks and the 3
Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
1.3 Quick Model Installation Guide
The organization of the files is up to the user’s discretion. A recommended approach is to create a specific folder
for the Wolfspeed LTspice models and add it to your LTspice search path. This method allows for all simulations
to use the same model files and omits the need for .inc/.lib statements inside the simulation. It is highly
recommended to avoid copy-and-pasting the library file into multiple locations.
1.3.1 LTspice Library Installation
Go to https://www.wolfspeed.com/tools-and-support/power/ltspice-and-plecs-models/
Download the ‘All SPICE Models.zip’ file
Unzip the downloaded file and navigate to the “\Modules\LTspice\Models\” folder
Create a folder to store the WS model files. For example, ‘C:\Users\ExampleUser\WS_LTspice_Library\’
Copy the .asy and .lib files into your desired directory.
Open LTspice and go to Tools -> Control Panel -> Sym. & Lib. Search Paths. Enter your desired directory
into both the symbol and library search paths (see Figure 1).
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
© 2023 Wolfspeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Wolfspeed® and the Wolfstreak logo are registered trademarks and the 4
Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
Figure 2: LTspice select component symbol screenshot
Once the part is placed in your simulation, right-click the symbol and change the Value field to your
desired module part number (see Figure 3). Open the .lib file in a text editor to view the available models
in the library.
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
© 2023 Wolfspeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Wolfspeed® and the Wolfstreak logo are registered trademarks and the 5
Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
1.3.2 Simetrix Installation
To install the model library in Simetrix, navigate to ‘All SPICE Models/Modules/Simetrix’ and drag the
‘Wolfspeed_Module_Library.cir’ and ‘Wolfspeed_Module_Symbols.sxslb’ files into the command shell in
Simetrix. The software will ask if you wish to install or edit the model file and symbol file (see Figure 4). Check
‘Install’ and click OK for both.
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
© 2023 Wolfspeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Wolfspeed® and the Wolfstreak logo are registered trademarks and the 6
Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
1.3.3 Installation for all other software
Wolfspeed SPICE models were designed and validated for use with LTspice. Alternative software syntax is
supported, but the simulation files are not guaranteed to be correct. Example simulation files, symbols, and
instructions for installation may not be provided.
1. Go to https://www.wolfspeed.com/tools-and-support/power/ltspice-and-plecs-models/
2. Download the ‘All SPICE Models.zip’ file
3. Unzip the downloaded file and navigate to the “\Modules\” folder
4. Navigate to your desired software folder
5. A .cir or .txt file will be provided for each device model. Import the contents of the file into your
desired software.
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
© 2023 Wolfspeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Wolfspeed® and the Wolfstreak logo are registered trademarks and the 7
Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
Figure 6: Example DPT_Test_Stand_HB.asc circuit for a half-bridge topology
It is critical to understand that the ideal CIL test circuit may not result in dynamic characteristics that exactly
match the datasheet. SiC MOSFET devices are complex, and accurate predictions at any arbitrary bus voltage,
load current, temperature, and gate resistance are challenging. In addition, non-idealities in the gate driver and
CIL circuit board may not be modeled in the LTspice circuit. Critical parameters include the bus inductance,
parasitic capacitance between the gate and drain of each switch position, parasitic capacitance of the load
inductor, parasitic capacitance between V+ and V-, and parasitic resistance of the gate drive.
An ideal CIL test circuit may not provide switching loss and slew rate that match
the datasheet due to unmodeled circuit parasitics
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
© 2023 Wolfspeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Wolfspeed® and the Wolfstreak logo are registered trademarks and the 8
Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
2. Using the Model
Wolfspeed power module SPICE models feature optimizations that allow them to be tailored to particular
applications. For example, long-duration simulations with a focus on control optimization may not need the
influence of parasitic inductance or baseplate capacitance, and a simulation using the body diode for reverse
conduction may not need the complexity of third-quadrant conduction. In this section, recommendations for
implementing the power module SPICE models in LTspice will be provided, along with the various
customization options.
It should be noted that a power module switch position is often comprised of several die in parallel. However,
physically representing each individual die is computationally expensive and makes simulating complex
circuits difficult and slow. Thus, Wolfspeed power module models leverage a scaled approach, where the
behavior of the parallel die and diodes are each lumped into a single switching model, as shown in Figure 8. As
such, the module models represent an averaged behavior of the paralleled die in both electrical and thermal
characteristics. Throughout this document, discussion of a MOSFET temperature, connection, or characteristic
refers to the entire switch position and paralleled die.
Drain
Drain
Source
Source
Figure 8: Scaled die model approach
Library Symbol
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
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their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
loss conditions as energy is dissipated to the baseplate. The leakage current through the baseplate spikes
during high dv/dt switching events indicated by V(mid).
Figure 10: Example DPT waveforms including junction temperatures and baseplate current
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
© 2023 Wolfspeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Wolfspeed® and the Wolfstreak logo are registered trademarks and the 11
Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
2.2 Library File Customization
The LTspice library file features several options for customizability that will be discussed in this section. To edit
the model behavior, right-click the model symbol in simulation. The component attribute editor shown in
Figure 11 will open. The primary features that can be edited are shown in the ‘Value’ and ‘SpiceLine’ fields. The
‘Value’ field can be changed to another module part number to select another module. This can be useful for
parameterizing the module model being simulated using the .TEXT feature in LTspice. The available module
models are listed at the top of the library file.
Thermals
• Set to 1 to enable closed-loop electro-thermal modeling with Cauer network model (representing
datasheet Zth), causing dynamic junction temperature which responds to semiconductor losses. The
initial temperature of the junction is set by the global TEMP parameter. Adds complexity and accuracy.
• Set to 0 to disable the closed-loop electro-thermal model and use a constant temperature across the
duration of the simulation. The temperature of the junction is set by the global TEMP parameter.
Decreases complexity and accuracy.
• There are two methods to set a temperature other than TEMP to an individual switch position. The first
is to specify a ‘Tj’ parameter on ‘SpiceLine2’. For example, ‘Tj=75’ will set the initial temperature of the
junction to 75ºC, regardless of the global TEMP parameter. Another method is to directly apply a voltage
source to the Tj pins.
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
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their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
BPC
• Set to 1 to enable the baseplate capacitances in the model. Adds significant computational complexity
but is crucial for EMI simulations.
• Set to 0 to disable the baseplate capacitances in the model. The baseplate pin is disabled and tied to
ground.
Level
• Set to 3 to enable the full third-quadrant model. This includes reverse recovery across temperature and
conduction characteristics across VGS and temperature. Provides the highest accuracy, but also the
greatest complexity. Consider decreasing the level parameter to improve simulation speed or if reverse
recovery behavior is not necessary. For modules with internal Schottky diodes, the level parameter is
limited to level=2 since reverse recovery is negligible for these devices.
• Set to 2 to disable reverse recovery. The conduction characteristics are still provided across VGS and
temperature characteristics. This level is suitable for synchronous switching applications.
• Set to 1 to disable the third-quadrant model and replace it with a body diode model fit at VGS = -4 V.
The model will still include reverse conduction in the ON state, but will not model the changes in body
diode conduction across VGS and temperature. Setting level=1 greatly improves simulation speed.
Rp
• Rp represents a parallel resistance across parasitic inductance within the package. At 100 Ω, this
resistance creates a lowpass filter with a cutoff around 1 GHz. This frequency is sufficiently high for
power electronics simulations but prevents the LTspice simulator from decreasing the timestep to
calculate extremely small, high-frequency oscillations between the parasitic inductance and
capacitances in the system. This resistance can be decreased to improve simulation speed further. At 1
mΩ, the influence of the parasitic inductance is removed entirely, and the simulation speed can be
improved by several orders of magnitude. The model will not correctly predict voltage overshoot, but
this can be extremely useful when performing long-duration simulations where detailed switching
behavior is not the primary concern.
In addition to these main configuration parameters, several other parameters can be edited from the
SpiceLine2 field. These are briefly described as follows:
• Package parameters: in 3.2, parasitic circuits of the models are provided. Any of these parasitic
parameters can be set from the SpiceLine2 field.
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
© 2023 Wolfspeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Wolfspeed® and the Wolfstreak logo are registered trademarks and the 13
Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
2.3 Alternative Software Customization
The non-LTspice models do not feature the same level of customization as the library models. However, the
netlist itself can be edited to suit the needs of a particular simulation. The netlist is designed to be readable,
and any custom changes will be the responsibility of the user. The model files include commented baseplate
capacitance lines that can be uncommented for EMC simulations (a baseplate pin must be added as well).
System Level
Package Level
Die Level
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
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their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
power module die and package models will be discussed in detail. The compact model has also been presented
in [1].
A notional circuit diagram of the package model is shown in Figure 13 (a). The package model includes
electrical package parasitics (such as self-inductance, mutual coupling, and baseplate capacitance) and a
model of the junction-to-case thermal impedance. The thermal impedance is modeled by a third order Cauer
network fit to ZTH curves. The shortest pulse width considered for fitting is 1 µs. The behavioral transistor model
in Figure 13 (b) has electrically dependent device capacitances, a static gate resistance, and temperature-
dependent forward characteristics that include short-channel effects at high drain-source voltages. The third-
quadrant model captures reverse recovery behavior across temperature and reverse conduction characteristics
across temperature and VGS biases.
V+
Drain
Dependence
TjQ1
G1
K1
Cauer
Mid PLoss Thermal Tc
Model
Gate
TjQ2
G2
Q2
K2
Baseplate
Source
V-
Figure 13: Half-bridge power module model, (a) package model, (b) transistor model
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
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Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
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Figure 14: Demonstration of forward static characteristic fits at 25 ºC, 75 ºC, and 175 ºC. Top: low VDS region (0 V –
50 V), bottom: high VDS region (0 V – 600 V)
Figure 15 shows example model fits for the third-quadrant conduction characteristics at a subset of VGS
conditions across temperature.
Figure 15: Demonstration of third-quadrant static characteristic fits at (a) 25 ºC, (b) 75 ºC, (c) 175 ºC
In the presented model, CDS and CGD are modeled with dependence on VDS, and CGS is modeled with dependence
on VGS. The model fits for these characteristics are provided in Figure 16.
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Figure 16: Demonstration of CV characteristics fits
Finally, the reverse recovery parameters of the model are tuned at multiple temperatures. Figure 17
demonstrates the model’s reverse recovery behavior across temperatures after tuning. The implementation of
reverse recovery into the device model allows for better prediction of losses.
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their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
Rp
Cug
Rdesr Ld V+
Q1
LgQ1/2 Rgi/2
G1
LgQ1/2 LcsiQ1
Rgi/2
K1 Rp
Cag
Baseplate Rpesr Lp Mid
Q2
LgQ2/2
Rgi/2
G2
LgQ2/2 LcsiQ2
Rgi/2
K2 Rp
Clg
Rsesr Ls V-
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
© 2023 Wolfspeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Wolfspeed® and the Wolfstreak logo are registered trademarks and the 18
Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
Figure 19: Full-bridge package model with parasitics
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
© 2023 Wolfspeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Wolfspeed® and the Wolfstreak logo are registered trademarks and the 19
Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
3.2.3 Six Pack
The six-pack package model is provided in Figure 20. The model is effectively three half-bridge circuits in
parallel, with some minor differences. The three DC- terminals are isolated internally, while the DC+ terminals
are connected through a parasitic inductance. Any of these parameter values can be changed in the LTspice
library file by editing the SpiceLine2 attribute (e.x. Rgi=1, LgQ1=30n).
There are some distinctions in the model based on the platform. For FM six-pack modules (such as the
CCB032M12FM3), all of the DC+ terminals are connected internally. Thus, RD2D3s and RD1D2s are very small
(on the order of µΩ), and Cu2g is removed from the model. However, for GM six-pack modules (such as the
CCB016M12GM3), phase 3 (DC+3) is isolated from the other two phases. Thus, RD2D3s and RD2D3p are set to
very large values to represent the physical module, and Cu2g is included in the model.
Runtime can be improved by setting RD1D2p, RD2D3p, RD1D2s, and RD2D3s to 1 mΩ.
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
© 2023 Wolfspeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Wolfspeed® and the Wolfstreak logo are registered trademarks and the 20
Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
Figure 20: Six-pack package model with parasitics
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
© 2023 Wolfspeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Wolfspeed® and the Wolfstreak logo are registered trademarks and the 21
Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.
Revision History
Date Revision Changes
Simulation Assistance
For any questions or comments about the model and its implementation, please post on our forum at
https://forum.wolfspeed.com/ to receive assistance from a support engineer.
PRD-07913 REV. 2, December 2023 Wolfspeed Power Module SPICE Models User Guide
© 2023 Wolfspeed, Inc. All rights reserved. Wolfspeed® and the Wolfstreak logo are registered trademarks and the 22
Wolfspeed logo is a trademark of Wolfspeed, Inc. Other trademarks, products, and company names are the property of
their respective owners and do not imply specific product and/or vendor endorsement, sponsorship, or association.