In this article, you will learn the general specification and classifications of power electronic devices and various switching devices.
The performance of power circuits is mainly dictated by the ratings of the power devices necessary for circuit operation, it is critical to understand the restrictions posed by the various power devices available and to select the proper device for the desired area of application.
Electrical and thermal properties are the fundamental issues of any semiconductor device characteristics and ratings. Thermal characteristics and cooling design considerations are common to all power-switching semiconductor devices. This virtual junction is regarded as the point source of all losses, including on-state and off-state losses, switch-on and switch-off losses, and any control input loss.
A Power Semiconductor device is a High voltage/current semiconductor device that acts as a switching device between the input and output. It switches between the stages and produces the required output to the load (AC/DC).
The properties of practical semiconductor devices differ from those of an ideal device. The device makers provide data sheets that describe the device specifications and ratings.
There are several parameters that are critical to the devices.
The most significant of them are as follows.
Fig 1. Classification of Power Semiconductor devices
Most semiconductors are used as switching devices whether the semiconductor device is a low-voltage or high-voltage device. The Semiconductor device is classified into two, Three, and Multi-terminal devices.
The diodes are examples of two terminal devices, such as
The following are the three-terminal devices.
The multi-terminal devices such as Intelligent Power Module (IPM) are examples.
The Voltage, Current & switching frequency will be different for each Power device. The above rating is just a standard rating of the device.
Intelligent power modules are primarily targeted at the high-voltage sector. “High” is a relative term; in the language of low-voltage engineers 50 V would be considered “high,” but in the context of IPMs, it’s actually very low.
The lowest maximum voltage rating of Infineon’s CIPOS Nano series, for example, is 40 V. The greatest voltage is 600 V, and the Nano line is Infineon’s smallest, lowest-power alternative. The Maxi series can withstand voltages of up to 1200 V and dissipate 50 W per IGBT. The switching frequency for Intelligent Power Module will be up to 20 kHz.
The power Electronics devices mainly concern with higher voltage and current ratings. Since the power semiconductor devices handle with higher current ratings the device has high intensity of electron movement, which causes higher temperature variation it leads to high junction temperature cause damage of damage. So, most of the power electronic devices requires cooling like heat sink, etc.
The maximum permitted junction temperature Tj is determined by the quality of the materials used and the kind of junction, and it is balanced against the lower dependability and accelerated service life caused by degradation. The faster the junction temperature rises, the faster it deteriorates. The equation approximates the link between service life Lt in hours and junction temperature Tj (K).
Log10 Lt = (A+ B) / Tj
where A and B are constants relating to the device type
The power dissipated in a semiconductor device is transformed into thermal energy, causing the temperature to increase. The maximum permitted junction temperature and device case temperature Tc are the key criteria limiting the maximum allowable power dissipation Pd. According to, these factors are connected by the thermal resistance Rθ.
Pd = (Tj – Tc) / Rθ
Thermal resistance at the virtual junction Rθ is a physical parameter that represents the junction temperature rise per unit power dissipation ratio. Thermal resistance quantifies the difficulty of transferring heat from the junction to the casing. Most maximum power values are set at 25°C and derated linearly to zero when the case-operating temperature rises to Tj, which is generally 175°C and 200°C for silicon and silicon carbide power devices, respectively.
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