This paper provides the first comprehensive study on the forward and reverse conduction and reliability performance of the Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) power cascode devices, in comparison with standard silicon & SiC power MOSFETs and the silicon superjunction MOSFETs. The impact of temperature and the external gate resistance are investigated, and a practical yet accurate analytical model has been developed to calculate the switching rate of cascode devices. The 3 rd quadrant operation devices through the body diodes is also studied along with unclamped switching properties for avalanche breakdown limits of GaN and SiC cascodes
