We investigated the short-circuit capabilities of 1.2 kV normally-off SiC buried gate static induction transistors (SiC-BGSITs). The maximum short-circuit energy was found to be 35.6 J/cm2, which is twice that of normally-on SiC-BGSITs and 3.3-5.6 times higher than that of the Si-IGBTs. The maximum short-circuit time was 590 μs. It is concluded that these high short-circuit capabilities result from saturation characteristics of the normally-off SiC-BGSITs. © (2013) Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland.