Copyright 2003

by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-1 2-1
Overview of Power Semiconductor Switches
Presently available power semiconductor switches
can be divided into three groups according to their
degree of controllability:

Diodes: ON and OFF states controlled by power circuits
Thyristors: latched on by a control signal but turned OFF
by the power circuit
Controllable switches: turned ON and OFF by control
signals
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-2 2-2
Diodes
On and off states controlled by the power circuit
Forward biased conduction
Reverse biased small leakage current flow until
break down voltage reached
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-3 2-3
Thyristors
Semi-controlled device
Latches ON by a gate-current pulse
if forward biased
Turns-off if current tries to reverse
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-4 2-4
Thyristor in a Simple Circuit
For successful turn-off, reverse voltage required
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-5 2-5
Idealized switch symbol
When on, current can flow only in the direction of the arrow
Instantaneous switching from one state to the other
Conduct large current with zero voltage drop in on-state
Block large forward and reverse voltages with zero current flow
when off
Infinite voltage and current handling capabilities
Generic Switch Symbol
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-6 2-6
Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT)
BJT is a current-controlled device
A sufficiently large base current will turn the device ON
Base current must be supplied continuously to keep it in the ON state
Used commonly in the past
Now used in specific applications, replaced by MOSFETs and IGBTs
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-7 2-7
Various Configurations of BJTs
dc gain is in the order of 5-10 of one BJT
To achieve larger current gain, these devices are
sometimes connected in the above configurations.
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-8 2-8
MOSFETs
MOSFET is a voltage-controlled device
Easy to control by the gate continuous application of v
GS

required to keep the device in the ON state
Faster switching speed (in the nanosecond range) than BJTs
Switching loss is lower compared to BJTs
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-9 2-9
Gate-Turn-Off Thyristors (GTO)
GTO as an ON/OFF switch
Once forward biased GTO can be turned ON by a gate pulse
GTO will stay ON
However, can be turned off by applying a negative gate-cathode
voltage
Used at very high power levels
Require elaborate gate control circuitry
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-10 2-10
IGBT
High impedance gate requires small
amount of energy to switch the device
Current rating: ~1700 A
Voltage rating: 2~3 kV
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-11 2-11
Comparison of Controllable Switches
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-12 2-12
Review of Basic Electrical and Magnetic
Circuit Concepts
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-13 2-13
Sinusoidal Steady State
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-14 2-14
Three-Phase Circuit
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-15 2-15
Steady State in Power Electronics
Voltage produced by an inverter in
an ac motor drive
Often line currents drawn from
the utility by the power electronic
circuits are highly distorted as
shown in b
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-16 2-16
Fourier Analysis
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-17 2-17
Phasor Representation
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-18 2-18
Response of L and C
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-19 2-19
Inductor Voltage and Current in Steady State
In steady-state, the average
inductor voltage (over one time
period) must be zero.
Copyright 2003
by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Chapter 2 Power Semiconductor
Switches: An Overview
2-20 2-20
Capacitor Voltage and Current in Steady State
In steady-state, the average
capacitor current (over one
time period) must be zero.