Semiconductor Devices and Their Use in Power Electronic Applications

Power semiconductor devices are the key electronic components used in power electronic systems. The solid-state power electronic revolution started with the invention of the thyristor or Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR) in 1956, and many power semiconductor devices have been produced since then. Advances in semiconductor technology have improved the efficiency of electronic devices which resulted in reduced cost, weight and size of power electronic systems. Power Integrated Circuits (PIC) have been developed as a result of recent advances in integration technology, which led to a significant improvement in reliability of power modules. This has extended the use of power converters for portable, aerospace and automotive applications. Thyristors and Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT's) have been used extensively in power electronic circuits. Power diodes are some of the important devices for inverter and freewheeling applications. Diode reverse recovery under high di/dt operating conditions may result device and circuit failure. In this paper, detailed study and progress made in power semiconductor devices, their characteristics, packaging, th ermal issues and different high power application are given.

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