Power Electronics Efficient conversion and control of electric power by power semiconductor devices.

Controlled Power

1. Switches (to control transfer of energy)

2. Reactors (Inductors and Capacitors) (to smoothen the transfer of energy)

Efficient, compact, lighter & reliable

Power electronics is extensively used in

In motor drives Power supplies (both AC & DC)

Lighting
High frequency induction heating

Electric welding
Active filters To process power from non-conventional sources

Electric vehicles

Bulk power transmission HVDC, FACTS

Power Semiconductor devices

Properties of ideal switches Two states : ON and OFF

The power dissipated in the switch in both the ON and OFF states is zero. Conduction and blocking losses are zero.

The switching characteristics of an ideal switch

The switch can be turned ON and OFF instantaneously.

ton = 0 ; toff = 0

Switching losses are zero.

REAL SWITCHES
Real switches suffer from limitations on almost all the features of the ideal switches.

1. The OFF state current is nonzero. This current is referred to as the leakage current.

The OFF state voltage blocking capacity is limited.

2. The ON state voltage is nonzero. This voltage is called the conduction drop. The ON state current carrying capacity is limited.

There is finite power dissipation in the OFF state (blocking loss) and ON state (conduction loss).

3. Switching from one state to the other takes a finite time. Consequently the maximum operating frequency of the switch will be limited. The consequence of finite switching time is the associated switching losses.

V i

t t

Real switches suffer from a number of failure modes associated with the OFF state voltage and ON state current limits.

Operating point should lie within SOA Heat dissipation/ cooling arrangement is required

PRACTICAL POWER SWITCHING DEVICES

A. Uncontrolled switches (no control input, two terminals)

B. Semi controlled switches C. Controlled switches

Diode ac supply
L

How will be Vin, Iin and VL ?

Vin and iin

Controlled switches
BJT (1948)

The collector-emitter forms the power terminal pair. The base-emitter form the control terminal pair. Power transistors are generally are of NPN type. Emitter is heavily doped to increase the current gain. The base drive decides the opoerating region of the BJT.

device is capable of blocking forward voltage.

In the saturated region, the base is overdriven. The device drops a small forward voltage and the current is determined by the external circuit.

To increase current gain

For high voltage BJT, current gain is low when operated in saturation. Use Darlington circuit 1 & 2 are current gains of transistors.

Over all gain = 1+2+12

Cannot operate 2 T in saturation

T2 may be in quasi-saturation

BJT is a minority carrier device.

It has Ve temp. coefficient. Secondary breakdown or thermal runaway,

parallel connections are difficult

On State Safe operating Area (FBSOA)

AB admissible current IC
in steady state BC Maximum power that transistor can dissipate CD Secondary breakdown Pmax limitation (or Tj) DE Voltage limit

SWITCHING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TRANSISTOR

TURN ON/ TURN OFF To reduce ton To reduce toff

On state loss = Vcesat*Ic

Charging of capacitance B-E Limits upper frequency of operation

BJT
Controlled Excellent on state characteristic Fast device

-Ve temp. device High voltage transformer has less hfe Darlington pair Continuous Ibase (isolation)

MOS FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTORS (MOSFET, 1978)

Drain and source form the power terminal pair. Source and gate form the control terminal pair.
Generally low V, high I devices

Very popular in DC-DC conversion.

Fast device Majority carrier device

Vth

Appears as though there cannot be any I From drain to source

The gate is insulated from the rest of the device and therefore draws no steady state current. When the gate is charged to a suitable potential with respect to the source, a conducting path known as the channel is established between the drain and the source.

when Vgs > Vth ;

Device is driven into ohmic region Conduction power loss= I2 Rds

Current is saturated

The conduction, blocking, and switching losses raise the junction temperature of the device.
To limit the operating junction temperature of the device, proper thermal design has to be made.

The device has no reverse blocking capability

To disable
As per application

+ ve temp. coefficient; Paralleling is easy

Switching speed
Internal Capacitor (Parasitic capacitances)
Depends on VDS

Almost independent of variation in VDS (SiO2) layer

Cinput = CGS + CGD (in Pico-farad)

Very high input impedance Voltage controlled device

Difference between BJT & MOSFET

BJT 1) Current controlled device 2) Minority carrier device \ has -ve resistance co-efficient. 3) Has secondary breakdown 4) Parallel ling device is difficult 5) On state power loss (Vcesat* Ic) is low MOSFET 1) Volta ge controlled device 2) Majority carrier device has +ve resistance co-efficient. 3) No secondary breakdown 4) Easy 5) (I2*Rdson) is higher than Losses of BJT

6) Turn-off time is higher

7) High input power

6) Very fast device

8) Continuous base current

IGBT (1983)
(Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor)

MOSFET Input stage Control stage

BJT Output stage Power stage Excellent on state characteristic

Structure is same as MOSFET only P+ layer is added to form drain

Modify the structure P+ layer forms the drain. When +ve potential applied to the gate & exceeds threshold voltage n channel is formed similar to MOS Electron flow into N-- region. N- layer receives electron s from
Holes

source (N+) & holes from drain (P+)

This junction can block negative voltage

 Most IGBTs contain inverse diode

Built-in which is optimized to match the IGBT switching operation.

BJTs & MOSFET were used in high frequency applications

BJT has excellent on-state characteristics and it is current controlled device

ID Vs VDS Characteristic
(similar to BJT)

Control parameter

During conduction, RDS is lower.

Conduction losses are less

 Compared to BJT and Power-MOS, IGBT has

Higher on-state voltage and current density Higher input impedance Rapid switching times Lower conduction losses Less silicon area because the gate driver circuit is simpler

Becomes a popular switching device in medium and high power applications (>100W)
To increase voltage rating (>1000V), need to use series-connected IGBTs

IGBT modules
1) Half bridge (single leg) 2) Full bridge (Three legs) 3) Smart module (Full bridge including driver and protection circuit)
D

HGTG 12N60A4D
G S D

Power terminals = Control terminals =

Eu pe c
S

Three-phase IGBT bridge module BSM 25 GD 120 DN2 (EUPEC make)

Smart module (Full bridge including driver and protection circuits)

Features >100kHz Operation At 390V, 20A

200kHz Operation At 390V, 12A

600V Switching SOA Capability Typical Fall Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55ns at TJ = 125oC Low Conduction Loss Temperature Compensating SABER Model

Anti Saturation network (Bakerclamp)

Operating the transistor in Quasi saturation region increases V CE slightly. But tsis greatly reduced. Prevent the BJT from over saturating.