I Semester 2022-23

TEE-311 4 (3-0-2)
POWER ELECTRONICS

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 Module 1: Power Switching Devices
Power semiconductor devices: Diode, Thyristor,
GTO, Triac, power transistor, MOSFET, IGBT, I-V
Characteristics; Firing circuit for thyristor;
Voltage and current commutation of a thyristor;
Gate drive circuits for MOSFET and IGBT.

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What is Power Electronics?
• Power electronics combines power, electronics, and control.
• Power deals with the static and rotating power equipment for
the generation, transmission, and distribution of electric
energy.
• Electronics deal with the solid-state devices and circuits for
signal processing to meet the desired control objectives.
• Control deals with the steady-state and dynamic
characteristics of closed-loop systems.
• Power electronics may be defined as the application of solid-
state electronics for the control and conversion of electric
power.
• Power electronics is based primarily on the switching of the
power semiconductor devices.
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History of Power Electronics

• Introduction of mercury arc rectifier - 1900.

• Then the metal tank rectifier, grid-controlled vacuum-tube rectifier,
ignitron, phanotron, and thyratron were introduced gradually. These
devices were applied for power control until the 1950s.
• invention of the silicon transistor at Bell Telephone Laboratories by
Bardeen, Brattain, and Schokley - 1948
• PNPN triggering transistor, which was defined as a thyristor or
silicon-controlled rectifier (SCR) - 1956
• development of the commercial thyristor by the General Electric
Company - 1958
• The power electronics revolution has gained momentum since the
late 1980s and early 1990s
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• Silicon-based devices have almost reached their limits.
• During recent years, silicon carbide (SiC) power electronics
has gone from being a promising future technology to being a
potent alternative to state-of-the-art silicon (Si) technology in
high-efficiency, high-frequency, and high-temperature
applications.
• SiC (Silicon Carbide) Power Electronics has higher voltage
ratings, lower voltage drops, higher maximum temperatures
and higher thermal conductivities
• A new era in power electronics initiated in renewable energy
processing and energy savings around the world.

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Types of power electronic Circuits

For the control of electric power or power conditioning, the

conversion of electric power from one form to another is
necessary and the switching characteristics of the power devices
permit these conversions. The static power converters perform
these functions of power conversions.

1. Diode rectifiers
2. dc–dc converters (dc choppers)
3. dc–ac converters (inverters)
4. ac–dc converters (controlled rectifiers)
5. ac–ac converters (ac voltage controllers)

6. Static switches

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 Single-Phase Diode Rectifier (ac-dc converter)

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 dc-dc converter

dc-ac converter

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 Single-phase ac-dc controlled converter

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Single-phase ac-ac converter

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 Generalized Power Converter System

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 SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
• POWER DIODE
• POWER TRANSISTORS
a. Power Bipolar junction transistor (BJT)
b. Power Metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor
(MOSFET)
c. Insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT)
d. Static induction transistor (SIT)
• THYRISTOR DEVICES
a. Silicon controlled rectifier (SCR)
b. Static induction thyristor (SITH)
c. Triac (Triode ac switch)
d. Gate turn-off thyristor (GTO)
e. MOS- controlled thyristor (MCT)
f. integrated gated-commutated thyristor (IGCTs)
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Power Semiconductor Switching Devices Classification:
• Uncontrolled turn-on and turn-off – Power Diode
• Semi controlled (Controlled turn-on and uncontrolled turn-off) -
SCR
• Fully Controlled (Controlled turn-on and -off characteristics) – GTO,
IGCT (ABB is using extensively), MCT, Power MOSFET, BJT, IGBT,
SITH, SIT
• Continuous gate signal requirement (BJT,MOSFET,IGBT,SIT)
• Pulse gate requirement (SCR, GTO,MCT)
• Bipolar voltage-withstanding capability (SCR, GTO)
• Unipolar voltage-withstanding capability
(BJT,MOSFET,GTO,IGBT,MCT)
• Bidirectional current capability (TRIAC, RCT)
• Unidirectional current capability (SCR, GTO, BJT, MOSFET,
MCT, IGBT, SITH, SIT, diode).
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 Power semiconductor devices (Power switches)
• Power semiconductor switches are the work-horses of power
electronics (PE).
• There are several power semiconductors devices currently
involved in several industrial applications.
• PE switches works in two states only: Fully on- conducting, and
Fully off-blocking
What is a good power switch:
• should have no switching-on and switching-off limitations in
terms of turn-on time, turn-off time, current and voltage
handling capabilities.
• » No power loss when ON
» No power loss when OFF
» No power loss during turning ON or OFF
» Little power required to turn it ON or OFF
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 Parameters that are important to the devices
• Voltage Ratings: Forward and reverse repetitive peak voltages,
and an on-state forward voltage drop
• Current Ratings: Average, root-mean-square (rms), repetitive
peak, nonrepetitive peak, and off-state leakage currents
• Switching Speed or Frequency: Transition from a fully
nonconducting to a fully conducting state (turn-on) and from a
fully conducting to a fully nonconducting state (turn-off) (Any
real device requires a definite time to switch)
• di/dt rating: device needs a minimum amount of time before its
whole conducting surface comes into play in carrying the full
current
• dv/dt ratings: A semiconductor device has an internal junction
capacitance CJ. If the voltage across the switch changes rapidly
during turn-on, turn-off, and also while connecting the main
supply, the initial current, the current CJ dv/dt flowing through CJ
may be too high
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• Switching Losses: Low Turn-on and Turn-off times
• Gate Drive Requirement: Both turn-on and turn-off must be
controllable (using a pulse signal with small pulse width)
• Safe Operating Area (SOA)
• Thermal ratings – from power switching devices to heat sink
• Control ratings - how to operate the switch, some switches
need to be Bi- directional

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28-10- 18
2022
 Semiconductor Devices
• Use high purity single-crystal Si (Silex, Silicis i.e hard stone)
• Amorphous Si- can emit photons
• Crystalline Si & Ge – can’t emit photons
• Sand/Germanite
• PIV rating Si diode-1000V/Ge Diode – 400 V
• Forward V drop 0.7 V/0.3 V
• Reverse saturation current Si – nA (allow diode to operate at
high temp)/Ge - micro amp
• Si- 0.1-60 ohm-cm, Ge – 1-500x10-3ohm-cm (Ag- 1.63x10-
8ohm-m) Insulators 1011-1019 ohm-m

• Semiconductors have high dielectric strength (>200 kV/cm)

• SiC-high power, high temp applications (Compared to Si
require more energy for conduction)
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 POWER DIODES

The power diodes are similar to pn-junction signal diodes.

However, the power diodes have larger power-, voltage-, and
current-handling capabilities than those of ordinary signal diodes.
The frequency response (or switching speed) is low compared with
that of signal diodes.
• A diode acts as a switch to perform various functions
• switches in rectifiers,
• freewheeling in switching regulators (freewheeling diode)
• energy feedback from the load to the power source (feedback
diode)
• charge reversal of capacitor and energy transfer between
components,
• voltage isolation, and trapped energy recovery
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Power Diodes
Ideally RON = 0, VFWD = 0
ROFF = infinity, Ileakage = 0

Ideally, the diode is represented by a short circuit when forward

biased and as an open circuit when reversed biased with the ideal
characteristic shown in figure.
• The v-i characteristics expressed by an equation known as Schockley
diode equation, and it is given under dc steady-state operation by
ID = IS (e VD/ nVT - 1)
• where ID = current through the diode, A;
VD = diode voltage with anode positive with respect to cathode, V
• IS = leakage (or reverse saturation) current, typically in the range 10-6 to
10-15 A
• n = empirical constant known as emission coefficient, or ideality factor,
whose value varies from 1 to 2.
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 V-I CHARACTERISTICS OF SIGNAL DIODE, POWER DIODE
AND IDEAL DIODE

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Power Diode Types
1. Converter or Line (Power frequency) ( Standard or general purpose) :
(High Power, Low Frequency, generally manufactured by diffusion)
on state voltage very low (below 1 V)
large reverse recovery time trr (about 25μs) .
very high current (up to 6 kA) and voltage (8 kV) ratings
used in line-frequency (50/60Hz) applications such as rectifiers (1kHz).
Slow recovery

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2. Fast recovery:
very low trr (<5 μs). (Epitaxial diodes trr as low as 50 ns)
power levels at several hundred volts (3kV) and several hundred amps.
normally used in high frequency circuits (Switching circuits).
(Freewheeling (e.g. motor or R-L-E load) and Feedback Diodes (e.g.
Inverters with R-L load )
3. Schottky Diode: (semiconductor n and metal jn to minimize charge
storage problem)
The recovery effect is due solely to the self capacitance of the
semiconductor junction
• very low forward voltage drop (typical 0.3V ) but leakage current may be
higher
limited blocking voltage (50-100V) .
ideal for low-voltage and high-current dc power supplies such as
switched mode power supplies.

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STRUCTURAL FEATURES OF POWER
DIODE AND ITS SYMBOL

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 (b) (b)

1014 cm-3

1019 cm-3

Fig. 2.3: Diagram of a power; (a) circuit symbol (b) photograph; (c) schematic cross
Power Diode
section.
Fig. 2.3: Diagram of a power; (a) circuit symbol (b) photograph; (c) schematic cross
section.
To arrive at the structure shown in Fig 2.3 (c) a lightly doped n- epitaxial layer of specified width
(depending
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To arriveonatthe required break down voltage) andadonorlightlyatom density (NdD) islayer
n- epitaxial grownofon a 27
+the structure shown in Fig 2.3 (c)-3 doped specified width
heavily doped n substrate (NdK donor atoms.Cm ) which acts as the cathode. Finally the p-n
• Power Diodes of largest power rating are required to conduct several
kilo amps of current in the forward direction with very little power loss
while blocking several kilo volts in the reverse direction.
• Large blocking voltage requires wide depletion layer in order to restrict
the maximum electric field strength below the “impact ionization” level.
• Space charge density in the depletion layer should also be low in order
to yield a wide depletion layer for a given maximum Electric fields
strength. These two requirements will be satisfied in a lightly doped p-n
junction diode of sufficient width to accommodate the required
depletion layer.
• Such a construction, however, will result in a device with high resistively
in the forward direction. Consequently, the power loss at the required
rated current will be unacceptably high.
• On the other hand if forward resistance (and hence power loss) is
reduced by increasing the doping level, reverse break down voltage will
reduce.

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• This apparent contradiction in the
requirements of a power diode is resolved by
introducing a lightly doped (n -) “drift layer” of
required thickness between two heavily
doped p+ and n+ layers.

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• Now the physical width of the drift region (WD) can be either
larger or smaller than the depletion layer width at the break
down voltage.
• Consequently two type of diodes exist, (i) non punch through
type, (ii) punch through type. In “non-punch through” diodes
the depletion layer boundary doesn’t reach the end of the
drift layer. On the other hand in “punch through” diodes the
depletion layer spans the entire drift region and is in contact
with the n+ cathode. However, due to very large doping
density of the cathode, penetration of drift region inside
cathode is negligible.

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Diode under Reverse Bias
VB = Reverse breakdown voltage
IS = Reverse saturation current
Tj = Junction Temperature

• Under reverse bias condition only a small leakage current (less

than 100mA for a rated forward current in excess of 1000A) flows
in the reverse direction (i.e from cathode to anode).
• This reverse current is independent of the applied reverse voltage
but highly sensitive to junction temperature variation.
• When the applied reverse voltage reaches the break down
voltage, reverse current increases very rapidly due to impact
ionization and consequent avalanche multiplication process.

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 Important specifications of a power diode under reverse bias
condition usually found in manufacturer’s data sheet are:
• DC Blocking Voltage (VRDC): Maximum direct voltage that
can be applied in the reverse direction (i.e. cathode positive
with respect to anode) across the device for indefinite period
of time. It is useful for selecting free-wheeling diodes in DC-
DC Choppers and DC-AC voltage source inverter circuits.
• RMS Reverse Voltage (VRMS): It is the RMS value of the
power frequency (50/60 HZ) sine wave voltage that can be
directly applied across the device. Useful for selecting diodes
for controlled / uncontrolled power frequency line
commutated AC to DC rectifiers. It is given by the
manufacturer under the assumption that the supply voltage
may rise by 10% at the most. This rating is different for
resistive and capacitive loads .

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• Peak Repetitive Reverse Voltage (VRRM): This is the
maximum permissible value of the instantiations reverse
voltage appearing periodically across the device. The time
period between two consecutive appearances is assumed to
be equal to half the power cycle (i.e. 10ms for 50 HZ supply).
This type of period reverse voltage may appear due to
“commutation” in a converter.
• Peak Non-Repetitive Reverse Voltage (VRSM): It is the
maximum allowable value of the instantaneous reverse
voltage across the device that must not recur. Such transient
reverse voltage can be generated by power line switching (i.e
circuit Breaker opening / closing) or lightning surges.

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• Power Diodes of largest power rating are required to conduct
several kilo amps of current in the forward direction with very little
power loss while blocking several kilo volts in the reverse direction.
• Large blocking voltage requires wide depletion layer in order to
restrict the maximum electric field strength below the “impact
ionization” level.
• Space charge density in the depletion layer should also be low in
order to yield a wide depletion layer for a given maximum Electric
fields strength. These two requirements will be satisfied in a lightly
doped p-n junction diode of sufficient width to accommodate the
required depletion layer.
• Such a construction, however, will result in a device with high
resistively in the forward direction. Consequently, the power loss at
the required rated current will be unacceptably high.
• On the other hand if forward resistance (and hence power loss) is
reduced by increasing the doping level, reverse break down voltage
will reduce.
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• This apparent contradiction in the
requirements of a power diode is resolved by
introducing a lightly doped “drift layer” of
required thickness between two heavily
doped p and n layers

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 REVERSE RECOVERY CHARACTERISTICS

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Series Connected Diodes:
• In the forward-biased condition, both diodes conduct the same
amount of current, and the forward voltage drop of each diode
would be almost equal.
• However, in the reverse blocking condition, each diode has to
carry the same leakage current, and as a result the blocking
voltages may differ significantly.

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 Series-connected diodes with steady-state voltage-sharing characteristics.

Series-connected diodes with voltage-sharing networks under steady-state and transient conditions.

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Parallel-Connected Diodes
• When diodes of the same type are connected in parallel, they do
not share the same on-state current due to mismatches in their
forward v-i characteristics.
• Current sharing networks are needed to equalize the current
sharing.
• Because the diodes are connected in parallel, the reverse blocking
voltages of each diode would be the same.
• The current sharing of diodes would be in accord with their
respective forward voltage drops.
• Uniform current sharing can be achieved by providing equal
inductances (e.g., in the leads) or by connecting current-sharing
resistors (which may not be practical due to power losses)

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 Diode Switched RC load

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 Diode circuit with R-L Load

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 Freewheeling Diode with Switched RL load
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Freewheeling Diode

• If the load is inductive, an antiparallel diode known as the

freewheeling diode must be connected across the load to
provide a path for the inductive current to flow. Otherwise,
energy may be trapped into an inductive load.

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