An IETO-IGBT Hybrid Concept With Reduced Losses

摘要

The efficiency of power electronic systems strongly depends on the employed power semiconductor devices. Reducing losses of the latter not only improves return on investment but also reduces the required cooling effort and potentially enables higher power densities. This letter proposes a novel power semiconductor device concept for medium-voltage dc–dc converters. It comprises an integrated emitter turn-off thyristor (IETO) and an insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) connected in parallel. While the former serves as the main conducting component, the latter functions as the main switching counterpart, reducing overall losses when operated in conjunction. The topology as well as the switching sequence are introduced and benefits of the concept are specified. For the verification, a prototype is constructed and first measurement results are presented. In comparison to previous work on the IETO, using an IETO with very low on-state voltage reduces the conduction loss by 40%. Simultaneously, a delayed turn-off of the IGBT allows a majority of charge carriers to recombine within the IETO, reducing the total turn-off loss by 67%.