Power Transistors
Prepared by
Dr. Mohammad Abdul Mannan
Assistant Professor, Department of EEE
American International University - Bangladesh
Power Transistors:
Have controlled turn-on and turn-off characteristics
Operate in the saturation region (resulting a low on-
state voltage
g drop)
p) to work as a switch
Employed in dc-dc and dc-ac converters
Normally used in Low-to-medium
Low to medium power applications
Switching speed of modern transistors is much higher
than that of thyristors.
thyristors
Voltage and current ratings of transistors are lower
th those
than th off thyristors
th i t
Classification of Power Transistors:
Power Transistors are classified as follows:
1. Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJTs)
2. Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect- Transistors
(MOSFETs)
3. Static Induction Transistors (SITs)
4. Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs)
5 COOLMOS Transistors
5.
Power BJT
BJTs are classified
Characteristics
Characteristics as
are
minority-carrier as well as majority carrier devices
Bipolar devices because their operation involves both
electrons and holes.
current control devices because the output depends on the
input current
The
Th currentt andd voltage
lt rating
ti off Power
P BJT are severall
hundred amperes and several hundred volts, respectively.
BJT has negative temperature coefficient.
coefficient
Switching losses are more
More energy efficient at low frequency.
frequency
Construction and Symbols of BJT
Cutoff Region (IB= 0 i.e. IC= 0): Collector-Base and
Base Emitter junctions are both reverse biased.
Saturation
S i R i
Region (VCE = 0):
0) Collector-Base
C ll B and
d
Base Emitter junctions are both forward biased.
IE = IB + IC IC = αIIE + ICBO IC = βIB β α
α= β=
1+ β 1−α
β is formally
y called the common emitter,, fforward current,, amplification
p f ffactor.
α is formally called the common base, short circuit, amplification factor.
Second breakdown can takes place.
Power MOSFET
MOSFETs are classified as
majority carrier devices
Unipolar
p devices because their operation
p involves either electrons or
holes.
voltage control devices because the output depends on the input voltage
MOSFET has positive temperature coefficient.
No possibility of second break down.
P k currentt capability
Peak bilit off MOSFET is
i higher
hi h than
th that
th t off BJT
MOSFETs are more sensitive to voltage spike than that of BJT
Switching losses are less
The On-state voltage as well as On-state loss is higher than that of BJT
Conduction losses of MOSFET are greater than that of BJT
More energy efficient at high frequency.
Depletion-Type MOSFET
Enhancement-Type MOSFET
IGBT
IGBTs are classified as
minority carrier devices
voltage control devices because the output depends on the
input voltage
IGBT has input characteristic of a power MOSFET and an
output characteristic of a BJT.
No
N possibility
ibilit off secondd break
b k down.
d
IGBT has high input impedance like a MOSFET
The On-state voltage as well as On-state loss is low
Other names of IGBT are Conductivity Modulated Field Effect
Transistor (COMFET),
(COMFET) Insulated Gate Transistor (IGT),
(IGT) Bipolar
mode MOSFET or Bipolar MOS Transistor.
Ad
Advantages
t off IGBT over a Power
P MOSFET and
d a BJT
The main advantages of IGBT over a Power MOSFET and a BJT are:
1. It has a veryy low on-state voltage
g drop.
p
2. It has superior on-state current density. So smaller chip size is
possible and the cost can be reduced.
3 Low driving power and a simple drive circuit due to the input
3.
MOS gate structure.
4. It can be easily controlled as compared to current controlled
d i
devices (th i t
(thyristor, BJT) ini high
hi h voltage
lt andd high
hi h currentt
applications.
5. Wide SOA (safe operating area).
6. It has superior current conduction capability compared with the
bipolar transistor.
7 It has excellent forward and reverse blocking capabilities.
7. capabilities
Disadvantages of IGBT over a Power MOSFET and a
BJT
The main drawbacks are:
1. Switching speed is inferior to that of a Power MOSFET and
superior to that of a BJT.
2 The
2. h turnoffff speedd to be
b slow.
l
3. There is a possibility of latch up due to the internal PNPN
y
thyristor structure.
Basic Construction of IGBT Gate
Source(Emitter)
N+ and
d N- represent highly
hi hl and
d lightly
li h l doped
d d materials,
i l respectively.
i l
IGBT has a parasitic thyristor comprising the
four-layer NPNP structure. Turn-on of this
th i t is
thyristor i undesirable.
d i bl
Some IGBTs, manufactured without the N+ buffer
layer, are called non-punch through (NPT) (or
Non-symmetric)
i ) IGBTs
G whereas those with
i this
i
layer are called punch-through (PT) (or
Symmetric) IGBTs.
It contains MOSFET, JFET, NPN and PNP transistors. The collector of the
PNP is connected to the base of the NPN and the collector of the NPN is
connected to the base of the PNP through g the JFET. The NPN and PNP
transistors represent the parasitic thyristor which constitutes a regenerative
feedback loop.
Operation of IGBT
Turn-ON
(i) Forward-Blocking
F d Bl ki State:St t If VCE > 0 andd VGE = 0, 0 J1
and J3 are forward biased and J2 is reversed biased. A
depletion layer extends on both
both-sides
sides of junction J2 partly
into p base and n- drift region. So no current can flow from
collector to emitter. This state is called forward blockingg
state.
(ii) Forward Conducting State or Creation of an Inversion Layer:
VGE > 0 and sufficient i.e VGE > VT, holes of p body region ripples and
electrons are concentrated below the SiO2 layer.
layer
A layer of electrons is created below the SiO2 is called inversion layer.
Due to the formation of n type layer below the p body, a conducting
channel
h l n+
+ n n- is
i formed.
f d
This channel helps to establish the current by transferring electrons
from n+ emitter to n- drift.
Now, forward blocking state is changed to the forward conducting
state.
(iii) Conductivity Modulation or Enhancement:
Due to the forward biased of J3 a large number of holes is injected to the
n+ buffer layer.
layer
Due to the creation of inversion layer, electrons are injected to n- drift
layer via n+ n n- channel.
Th injected
The i j d electrons
l will
ill attract holes
h l from
f n+ buffer.
b ff
Thus, double injection takes-place into the n- drift region from both side
and this injection action drastically modulate or enhance the conductivity
of n- drift layer and reduces the resistance to its minimum value.
Such a way, the on-state voltage drop of an IGBT is reduced.
Turn-OFF or Reverse-Blocking Mode
When a negative bias is applied to the gate or the gate voltage falls
b l
below the
h threshold
h h ld value,
l theh channel
h l is
i vanishes
i h andd no conducting
d i
channel.
When a negative voltage is applied across the collector-to-emitter
terminal the junction
terminal, j nction J1 and J3 become reverse-biased
re erse biased and its
depletion layer extends. Then IGBT goes to turn off.
Transfer
T f (
(or i
input)t)
characteristics [Like
input characteristics of
MOSFET]
Output or V-I
characteristics [Like
output characteristics
of BJT]]
POWER BJT POWER MOSFET POWER IGBT
It is current controlled It is voltage controlled It is voltage controlled
d i
device. d i
device. d i
device.
It is minority-carrier as It is majority-carrier It is minority-carrier
well as majority carrier device. device.
device.
Its switching speed is Its switching speed is high. Its switching speed is very
comparatively lower than high.
that of the power
MOSFET
MOSFET.
It needs an appropriate A negligible current is A small current is required
value of control current for required at its control at its control terminal to
keeping it in the ON-state. terminal to maintain it in maintain it in the ON-state.
the ON-state.
The current and voltage The current and voltage The current and voltage
ratings are higher than ratings are LOW. ratings are well above those
those of the power of the power MOSFETs.
MOSFETs
MOSFETs.
On state voltage drop is On state voltage drop is On state voltage drop is
comparatively higher than lower than that of power minimum.
that of power MOSFETs. BJTs.
Input resistance is low. Input resistance is high. Input resistance is high.
