MOS and bipolar gated thyristor: A thyristor with IGBT switching characteristics

The IGBT has become the device of choice in many high-voltage-power electronic applications, by virtue of combining the ease of MOS gate control with an acceptable forward voltage drop. However, designers have retained an interest in MOS gated thyristor structures which have a turn-off capability. These offer low on-state losses as a result of their latching behaviour. Recently, there have been various proposals for dual-gate devices that have a thyristor on-state with IGBT-like switching. Many of these dual gated structures rely on advanced MOS technology, with inherent manufacturing difficulties. The MOS and bipolar gated thyristor offers all the advantages of dual gated performance, while employing standard IGBT processing techniques. The paper describes the MBGT in detail, and presents experimental and simulation results for devices based on realistic commercial processes. It is shown that the MBGT represents a viable power semiconductor device technology, suitable for a diverse range of applications. © IEE, 1998.

Spice modelling of the superjunction IGBT

This paper presents a SPICE model of the SuperJunction Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (SJIGBT) [1]. SPICE simulation results are in good agreement with the DESSIS simulation results under DC conditions. This model consists of an intrinsic MOSFET and a parallel combination of a wide and a narrow base pnp BJTs. A parasitic JFET is also included to account for the restricted current flow between two adjacent p-wells. In addition the JFET component also models the additional depletion region caused by the transverse junction at the upper side of the n-drift region where the current is mainly transported via majority carriers.

Soft turn-on of NPT IGBT under Active Voltage Control

In this paper the soft turn-on of NPT IGBT under Active Voltage Control (AVC) is presented. The AVC technique is able to control the IGBT switching trajectory according to a pre-defined reference signal generated by a FPGA chip. By applying a special designed reference signal at turn-on, the IGBT turn-on current overshoot and diode recovery can be optimized. Experiments of soft turn-on with different reference signal are presented in this paper. This technique can be used to reduce the switching stress on the device and on other components of the circuit. © 2011 IEEE.

Investigation into IGBT dV/dt during turn-off and its temperature dependence

In many power converter applications, particularly those with high variable loads, such as traction and wind power, condition monitoring of the power semiconductor devices in the converter is considered desirable. Monitoring the device junction temperature in such converters is an essential part of this process. In this paper, a method for measuring the insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) junction temperature using the collector voltage dV/dt at turn-OFF is outlined. A theoretical closed-form expression for the dV/dt at turn-OFF is derived, closely agreeing with experimental measurements. The role of dV/dt in dynamic avalanche in high-voltage IGBTs is also discussed. Finally, the implications of the temperature dependence of the dV/dt are discussed, including implementation of such a temperature measurement technique. © 2006 IEEE.