Noriyuki Iwamuro

1200 V MCCT: a new concept three terminal MOS-gated thyristor

High power semiconductor devices are required for various applications like a motor control in traction system. Desired device characteristics for such applications are low forward voltage drop, high current capability and large blocking voltage capability. Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) is now widely accepted for many applications due to its simple gate control and current saturation feature, and many studies have been done for its high voltage application. It has been found that this device structure has a high forward voltage drop at a large current density when designed for the high voltage application. As an alternative, MOS-gated thyristor structures such as MOS Controlled Thyristor (MCT) and Base Resistance controlled Thyristor(BRT) have been studied for the high voltage application because of its simple gate drive capability and low forward voltage drop. However, since this device does not have the current saturation feature, passive protection must be provided for its stable operation. In this paper, a new class of MOS-gated thyristor structure named MOS Controlled Cascode Thyristor (MCCT) which exhibits a superior short circuit withstand capability as well as the low forward voltage drop will be demonstrated for the first time. Furthermore, this device shows a fast switching speed which is comparable to that of an IGBT and an excellent maximum turn-off capability, simultaneously.

Switching loss analysis of shorted drain non punch-through and punch-through type IGBTs in voltage resonant circuit

The dissipated turn-off losses of shorted drain non-punch-through and punch-through type IGBTs (insulated-gate bipolar transistors) are investigated for voltage resonant circuit application. These characteristics are analyzed experimentally and calculated by using a two-dimensional device simulator. It is shown that the shorted drain structure is not effective for decreasing the dissipated loss, whereas the optimized punch-through type IGBT is suitable for this circuit application.<<ETX>>

2nd generation dual gate MOS thyristor

2nd generation dual gate MOS thyristor (2nd gen.-DGMOS) with 900 V blocking capability are presented to realize an extremely excellent trade-off characteristic between an on-state voltage drop and a turn-off loss with a high turn-off capability and to overcome the IGBTs characteristics for the first time. A superior on-state voltage drop (Von) of 1.29 V at 10 A(71.3 A/cm/sup 2/) with the turn-off loss (Eoff) of 101 /spl mu/J is successfully achieved. These values of Von, Eoff indicate the much superior trade-off characteristic to the IGBT. Furthermore, it should be noted that the 2nd gen.-DGMOS achieves better turn-off capability of approximately 500 A/cm/sup 2/ in a voltage resonant circuit, which is 3.0 times higher than that of the conventional DGMOS.

A novel free wheeling diode for 1700 V IGBT module

A novel free wheeling diode with its blocking capability of 1700 V is presented to realize an excellent trade-off characteristic between a forward voltage drop and a reverse recovery loss, for the first time. A superior forward voltage drop (Vf) of 1.85 V with the reverse recovery loss (Err) of 13.0 mJ is successfully achieved (a rated current is set at 100 amperes). These values of Vf and Err indicate the much superior trade-off characteristic to the conventional FWD. Furthermore, it should be noted that the newly developed FWD achieves a positive temperature coefficient of Vf, which is more advantageous for parallel connection of an IGBT module.

Experimental demonstration of 600 V MCCT

This paper presents the characteristics of a MCCT (MOS controlled cascode thyristor) device with a blocking capability of 600 V for the first time. It should be noted that a superior on-state voltage drop of 2.0 V can be achieved while exhibiting a fast turn-off speed which is comparable to that of an IGBT. Furthermore, the MCCT shows a superior short circuit withstand capability of more than 16 /spl mu/s and a maximum turn-off capability of over 660 A/cm2 at a high temperature condition of 125/spl deg/C, simultaneously, by the application of an n/n/sup +/ source region structure.