Overview of Power

Semiconductor Devices

Power Semiconductor
Devices

Power
Power
Power
Power
Power
GTO

Diode
BJT
MOSFET
IGBT
Thyristor

Comparison
Device

Power capability

Switching Speed

BJT

Medium

Medium

MOSFET

Low

Fast

GTO

High

slow

IGBT

Medium

Medium

MCT

Medium

medium

 Power semiconductor devices represent the

heart of modern power electronics, with two
major desirable characteristics guiding their
manufacturing and design development:
1. Switching speed
(Turn-On times)
(Turn-Off times)
2. Power-handling capabilities
Voltage blocking capabilities
Current carrying capabilities

 Power switches operates in two states:

Fully on. i.e. switch closed.
Conducting state
Fully of , i.e. switch opened.
Blocking state
I=0
I
Vswitch= 0
Vin

Vswitch= Vin
Vin

SWITCH OFF (fully opened)

SWITCH ON (fully closed)

Attributes of Ideal Switch

Desirable Characteristics of
controllable switch
Small leakage current during off
state
Small ON state voltage drop =>less
power loss
Short turn ON & turn OFF time
Large forward & reverse blocking
capability
High ON state voltage & current
rating
Positive temperature coefficient

Properties influencing selection of a

device

On state voltage / on state resistance

Switching time
V& I ratings
Power required by control circuit
Temperature coefficient
Cost
Rate of rise of current di/dt
Rate of rise of voltage dv/dt

Other considerations
Acceptable energy efficiency
Minimum switching frequency
Proper match between device &
converter requirements

Switching Characteristics: Ideal

Switch

Non conduction state (ofstate):

voltage (forward or reverse
blocking voltage)

Infinite
of-state
resistance,
i.e.,
zero
leakage.
conduction state (On -state):
current (forward or reverse
current)

Zero-on state voltage

drop
No limit on the operating
speed of the device when it
changes state

zero rise and fall times

Switching Characteristics: Practical Switch

Limited power-handling capabilities

limited conduction current when switch is in the on

state

limited blocking voltage when the switch is in the ofstate.

Limited switching speed, due to the finite turn-on and

turn-off times.
Finite on-state and of-state resistances i.e., existence of
forward voltage drop in the on state, and reverse current
flow (leakage) in the off-state

Due to these characteristics, practical switch

experiences power losses in the on and of states and
during switching transitions.

Switching Characteristics: Practical

Switch

SOA

SOA

Applications

Si Vs SiC

GaN Devices

Generic Switch Symbol

Idealized switch symbol

When on, current can flow only in the direction of
the arrow

Diodes

Thyristors

Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT)

MOSFETs

Easy to control by the gate

Optimal for low-voltage operation at high switching frequenc
On-state resistance a concern at higher voltage ratings

Gate-Turn-Off Thyristors (GTO)

Slow switching speeds

Used at very high power levels
Require elaborate gate control circuitry

IGBT

MCT

Reverse Recovery Time

IF

trr= ( t2 - t0 )
t2

t0
IRM

VR
VRM

When a diode is switched quickly from forward to reverse

bias, it still continues to conduct due to the minority
carriers which remains in the p-n junction.
The minority carriers require finite time, i.e, trr (reverse
recovery time) to recombine with opposite charge and
neutralise.
This time is called reverse recovery time of the diode.
Effects of reverse recovery are increase in switching losses,
increase in voltage rating, over-voltage (spikes) in

Reverse Recovery Characteristics: Soft Recovery

ta is the time to remove the charge stored in junctions depletion

region

tb is the time to remove the charge stored in the bulk

semiconductor material

Reverse recovery time = t = t +t

Reverse Recovery Characteristics: Abrupt Recovery

Reverse recovery time = trr = ta+tb

Peak Reverse Current = IRR = ta(di/dt)

Power Diodes

Power diode applications

Automotive (Alternator, ABS, Car
Navigation, Transmissions)
Surge suppression
Reverse current protection
Free wheeling for inductive loads
General rectification

Power Diode
AUTOMOTIVE, CONSUMER AND INDUSTRIAL Applications
Desired Features
High reliability
High power capability
High frequency
High speed
High operating junction temperature (up to 225C)
Wide range of package types
Axial lead
Surface mount
Glass body
Resin body
Solder
Press fit

V & I range of power diodes

http://www.st.com/web/catalog/sense_power/FM64

Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs)

IGBT series support a range of critical power
control applications for high end industrial and
traction applications. Hitachi's process
technologies are progressive and tailored to
meet the specific expectations of these
markets. These include Low Injection Punch
Through (LiPT) sLiPT, Trench LiPT, High
Conductivity, applied (to silicon) individually
or in combination to achieve the best
optimised solution for a range of applications
and voltages.

Features
Voltage range 650V, 1700V - 6500V
Current (A) range 400A - 3600A
Low switching losses
Low conduction losses
Soft recovery and low loss diodes
Low thermal expansion base plates
High power cycling capability
Positive temperature coefficient
Extensive package line up including
73mm x 140mm
130mm x 140mm
190mm x 140mm