THE CURRENT STATUS OF POWER SEMICONDUCTORS

Trends in the design and technology of power semiconductor devices are discussed on the threshold of the year 2015. Well established silicon technologies continue to occupy the most of applications thanks to the maturity of switches like MOSFET, IGBT, IGCT and PCT. Silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) are striving to take over that of the silicon. The most relevant SiC device is the MPS (JBS) diode, followed by MOSFET and JFET. GaN devices are represented by lateral HEMT. While the long term reliability of silicon devices is well trusted, the SiC MOSFETs and GaN HEMTs are struggling to achieve a similar confidence. Two order higher cost of SiC equivalent functional performance at device level limits their application to specific cases, but their number is growing. Next five years will therefore see the co-existence of these technologies. Silicon will continue to occupy the most of applications and dominate the high-power sector. The wide bandgap devices will expand mainly in the 600 - 1200 V range and dominate the research regardless of the voltage class

Tarantula Toxins Interact with Voltage Sensors within Lipid Membranes

Voltage-activated ion channels are essential for electrical signaling, yet the mechanism of voltage sensing remains under intense investigation. The voltage-sensor paddle is a crucial structural motif in voltage-activated potassium (Kv) channels that has been proposed to move at the protein–lipid interface in response to changes in membrane voltage. Here we explore whether tarantula toxins like hanatoxin and SGTx1 inhibit Kv channels by interacting with paddle motifs within the membrane. We find that these toxins can partition into membranes under physiologically relevant conditions, but that the toxin–membrane interaction is not sufficient to inhibit Kv channels. From mutagenesis studies we identify regions of the toxin involved in binding to the paddle motif, and those important for interacting with membranes. Modification of membranes with sphingomyelinase D dramatically alters the stability of the toxin–channel complex, suggesting that tarantula toxins interact with paddle motifs within the membrane and that they are sensitive detectors of lipid–channel interactions

Recent Advancements in IGCT Technologies for High Power Electronics Applications

Keywords «IGCT», «Power semiconductor device», «High power discrete device», «Bipolar device», «Industrial application». Abstract In this paper, we review the progress made recently for further developing the Integrated Gate Commutated Thyristor (IGCT) device concept for high power electronics applications. A wide range of newly introduced IGCT technologies are discussed and recent prototype experimental results as well as novel structures and future trends of the IGCT technology are presented. This will provide system designers with a comprehensive overview of the potentials possible with this device concept

Vykonove bipolarni soucastky - destruktivni mechanismy a metody jejich potlaceni.

Available from STL Prague, CZ / NTK - National Technical LibrarySIGLECZCzech Republi

TCAD Investigation of Differently-Doped DLC Passivation for Large-Area High-Power Diodes

An electroactive passivation for high-voltage diodes with bevel termination has been investigated based on diamond-like carbon (DLC) films. Variations of the DLC properties, i.e., conductivity and geometry, have been investigated by experiments and numerical simulations to the purpose of gaining an insight on their influence on the diode leakage current and breakdown voltage. The role played by the DLC/Si interface has been investigated by characterizing metal-DLC-Si devices. Both Boron and Nitrogen doping have been investigated and a TCAD setup has been provided accounting for the main transport features of the DLC material with different doping configurations. A significant polarization effect has been observed in the DLC material, which improves the DLC performance as a passivation material. High-voltage diodes have been characterized and simulated with different DLC layers on top of the bevel termination in order to identify the role played by conductivity and polarization on the blocking state. The correlation of leakage current and voltage breakdown with the DLC doping and thickness is provided and explained by the TCAD simulation results

Gate commutated thyristor with voltage independent maximum controllable current

In this letter, we use a novel 3-D model, earlier calibrated with experimental results on standard gate commutated thyristors (GCTs), with the aim to explain the physics behind the high-power technology (HPT) GCT, to investigate what impact this design would have on 24 mm diameter GCTs, and to clarify the mechanisms that limit safe switching at different dc-link voltages. The 3-D simulation results show that the HPT design can increase the maximum controllable current in 24 mm diameter devices beyond the realm of GCT switching, known as the hard-drive limit. It is proposed that the maximum controllable current becomes independent of the dc-link voltage for the complete range of operating voltage.

The destruction mechanism in GCTs

This paper focuses on the causes that lead to the final destruction in standard gate-commutated thyristor (GCT) devices. A new 3-D model approach has been used for simulating the GCT which provides a deep insight into the operation of the GCT in extreme conditions. This allows drawing some conclusions on the complex mechanisms that drive these devices to destruction, previously impossible to explain using 2-D models.