High-power active devices

Very high-power (HP) electronics represents a small part of the electronics market. In semiconductor terms, HP represents a world device market of 600 million euros out of a total 200 billion euros for all semiconductors—a mere 0.3 per cent. At the multi-megawatt spectral end, the numbers are even smaller, so that it is quite common for electronics engineers to be unaware of developments in Very High Power (VHP). In this presentation we discuss the categories of VHP active devices, the basic topologies in which they operate, and the trend towards higher voltage and current. New press-pack technologies are introduced and the salient differences between Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) and Integrated Gate Commutated Thyristors (IGCTs) are compared. Finally, recent developments in turn-off ratings for both these devices are presented.