Search

This paper presents a unified physics-based insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) compact model for circuit simulation that predicts the performance of both Si and SiC, n- and p-channel devices. The model can predict the detailed switching waveforms of these technologies based on its charge-based formulation. Further, this compact IGBT model is presented alongside a unique datasheet-driven parameter extraction process. The parameter extraction process enables users to quickly extract model parameters from data typically published without the need of taking physical measurements. The model has been validated with both Si and SiC devices for static and dynamic characteristics. The SiC IGBTs used for validation are a 12.5-kV n-channel device and a 13-kV p-channel device, while the Si IGBT chosen was IXDH30N120 from IXYS Corp. (Milpitas, CA, USA). This is the only IGBT model that predicts the performance of both n- and p-channel, Si and SiC devices, providing more freedom for the development of complex power electronics circuit designs. The convergence of the model has been verified by implementing a complex circuit consisting of both a dc–dc converter and a dc–ac inverter. The results presented here show that the unified model can be used to describe the behavior of a wide range of Si and SiC IGBT circuits. This paper is accompanied by a Verilog-A source code and a power point file demonstrating the model parameter extraction sequence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fault diagnosis of the bearings in direct-drive (i.e., no gearbox) wind turbines is a challenging issue due to the varying shaft rotating frequency (SRF) caused by the erratic wind environment. To remove the spectrum smearing phenomena of the SRF-related components and the disturbances of the SRF-unrelated components in a measured signal, this paper proposes a novel method, called multiscale filtering spectrum (MFS), to obtain the weighted energy distribution of the monocomponent signals within a local order range based on the Vold-Kalman filter (VKF). First, the instantaneous SRF of the wind turbine is estimated from a generator current signal. Then, a VKF-based multiscale filter bank is designed according to the center frequencies corresponding to the SRF at different scales. The monocomponent signals whose frequencies are continuous multipliers of the SRF are subsequently extracted from the envelope of the measured current or vibration signal. Finally, a weighted energy spectrum is constructed within the selected order range, from which possible bearing fault characteristic orders can be identified. Simulation and experiment results show that the proposed new MFS method can enhance the characteristic orders and suppress the noise, and therefore has better performance than the traditional angular resampling method for bearing fault diagnosis of direct-drive wind turbines under varying speed conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A resistance-capacitance (RC) thermal network with temperature-dependent thermal conductivities and heat capacitances is used to calculate the junction temperature of insulated-gate bipolar-transistor modules using a device model realized in Simulink. The collector current I_{C}, collector–emitter voltage V_{CE}, and the case temperature TC measured during the cycling are used as input parameters of the proposed model. The proposed model is easier to implement compared with the thermosensitive electrical parameter (TSEP) method, and it is compared with an RC network with constant thermal conductivity and heat capacitance model and experimentally verified by using a TSEP method. The results of the proposed model show an improvement of the accuracy for determining the junction temperature compared with the model with constant thermal conductivity and heat capacitance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Compact models of wide-bandgap power devices are necessary to analyze and evaluate their impact on circuit and system performance. Part I reviewed compact models for silicon carbide (SiC) power diodes and MOSFETs. Part II completes the review of SiC devices and covers gallium nitride devices as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wide bandgap power devices have emerged as an often superior alternative power switch technology for many power electronic applications. These devices theoretically have excellent material properties enabling power device operation at higher switching frequencies and higher temperatures compared with conventional silicon devices. However, material defects can dominate device behavior, particularly over time, and this should be strongly considered when trying to model actual characteristics of currently available devices. Compact models of wide bandgap power devices are necessary to analyze and evaluate their impact on circuit and system performance. Available compact models, i.e., models compatible with circuit-level simulators, are reviewed. In particular, this paper presents a review of compact models for silicon carbide power diodes and MOSFETs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A practical parameter extraction procedure for a power silicon carbide (SiC) junction field-effect transistor (JFET) is presented. The carrier mobility and carrier concentration are very important parameters, strongly affecting the device current capability and dynamic characteristics for a given design. When modeling JFETs, the values of these parameters are usually based on assumptions and given by a vendor in a range. As a result, model accuracy is compromised. In this paper, a step-by-step parameter extraction procedure is described that includes the extraction of mobility and carrier concentration in the channel and drift regions based on knowledge of device geometrical parameters. For the first time, carrier mobilities in the channel and drift regions of a power JFET are extracted individually. It is found that channel and drift region mobilities can be very different for a given device since they are strongly dependent on the fabrication process. The separate extraction of these two mobilities can also improve model accuracy in the case of imperfect knowledge of the device geometry. The developed procedure includes the extraction of empirical parameters describing the temperature dependence of mobilities in the channel and drift regions. A simple static I– V characterization and C–V measurements are the only measurements required for the parameter extraction. In this paper, the procedure is experimentally validated for both normally off (enhancement mode) and normally on (depletion mode) JFETs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel SiC junction field-effect transistor (JFET) model that uses a unified description of linear and saturated conduction modes is proposed. Advantages of the proposed model are improved robustness and convergence, inclusion of field-dependent mobility effects, and more physical description of the current saturation phenomenon. The model is validated against a normally off JFET sample over a wide temperature range. Finite-element simulations are used to demonstrate the physics-based nature of the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a physical model for a SiC Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET) is presented. The novel feature of the model is that the mobility dependence on both temperature and electric field is taken into account. This is particularly important for high-current power devices where the maximum conduction current is limited by drift velocity saturation in the channel. The model equations are described in detail, emphasizing the differences introduced by the field-dependent mobility model. The model is then implemented in Pspice. Both static and dynamic simulation results are given. The results are validated with experimental results under static conditions and under resistive and inductive switching conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An existing physics-based insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) model, which has been proven accurate for both inductive turn-off and inductive turn-on simulations, is modified to account for planar-gate IGBT 2-D effects at the MOS end of the drift region. The modification is based on a steady-state solution of carrier distribution in the JFET region of the IGBT. The accuracy of this solution is verified through a set of finite element simulations. The improved accuracy of the modified model in terms of on-state forward drop and voltage tail at turn-on is verified through comparison with experimental results. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

compact trench-gate insulated-gate bipolar transistor model that captures MOS-side carrier injection is developed. The model retains the simplicity of a 1-D solution to the ambipolar diffusion equation, but at the same time, captures the MOS-side carrier injection and its effects on steady-state carrier distribution in the drift region and on switching waveforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a new thermal model based on the Fourier series solution of heat conduction equation has been introduced in detail. 1-D and 2-D Fourier series thermal models have been programmed in MATLAB/Simulink. Compared with the traditional finite-difference thermal model and equivalent RC thermal network, the new thermal model can provide high simulation speed with high accuracy, which has been proved to be more favorable in dynamic thermal characterization on power semiconductor switches. The complete electrothermal simulation models of insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) and power diodes under inductive load switching condition have been successfully implemented in MATLAB/Simulink. The experimental results on IGBT and power diodes with clamped inductive load switching tests have verified the new electrothermal simulation model. The advantage of Fourier series thermal model over widely used equivalent RC thermal network in dynamic thermal characterization has also been validated by the measured junction temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although insulated-gate bipolar-transistor (IGBT) turn-on losses can be comparable to turn-off losses, IGBT turn-on has not been as thoroughly studied in the literature. In the present work IGBT turn on under resistive and inductive load conditions is studied in detail through experiments, finite element simulations, and circuit simulations using physics-based semiconductor models. Under resistive load conditions, it is critical to accurately model the conductivity-modulation phenomenon. Under clamped inductive load conditions at turn-on there is strong interaction between the IGBT and the freewheeling diode undergoing reverse recovery. Physics-based IGBT and diode models are used that have been proved accurate in the simulation of IGBT turn-off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the application of compact insulated gate bipolar transistor and p-i-n diode models, including features such as local lifetime control and field-stop technology, to the full electrothermal system simulation of a hybrid electric vehicle converter using a lookup table of device losses. The vehicle converter is simulated with an urban driving cycle (the Federal Urban Driving Schedule), which is used to generate transient device temperature profiles. A methodology is also described to explore the converter reliability using the temperature profile, with rainflow cycle counting techniques from material fatigue analysis. The effects of ambient temperature, driving style, and converter design on converter reliability are also investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, a simulation method for power electronic devices has emerged, which has high accuracy and short run times based on a Fourier model of the devices physics. This paper describes the use of the Fourier models for diodes and insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and implementation in MATLAB and Simulink in a formal optimization strategy. In particular, this paper investigates coupled circuit, diode, and IGBT behavior. Conclusions are drawn concerning device loading and circuit design, particularly the role stray inductance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a practical destruction-free parameter-extraction methodology for a new physics-based circuit simulator buffer-layer integrated gate-commutated thyristor (IGCT) model. Most key parameters needed for this model can be extracted by one simple clamped inductive-load switching experiment. To validate this extraction method, a clamped inductive-load switching experiment was performed, and corresponding simulations were carried out by employing the IGCT model with parameters extracted through the presented methodology. Good agreement has been obtained between the experimental data and simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A practical and accurate parameter extraction method is presented for the Fourier-based-solution physics-based insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) and power diode models. The goal is to obtain a model accurate enough to allow switching loss prediction under a variety of operating conditions. In the first step of the extraction procedure, only one simple clamped inductive load test is needed for the extraction of the six parameters required for the diode model and of the 12 and 15 parameters required for the nonpunch-through (NPT) and punch-through (PT) IGBT models, respectively. The second part of the extraction procedure is an automated formal optimization step that refines the parameter estimation. Validation with experimental results from various structures of IGBT demonstrates the accuracy of the proposed IGBT and diode models and the robustness of the parameter extraction method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that examined circuit simulator models for the diode and insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) with full temperature dependent features. Simulation of the distributed charge; Results of the study; Conclusion.

Presents a study which developed an electrothermal physics-based model for the field-stop insulated gate bipolar transistor. Characteristics of the model; Analytical description of the field-stop layer; Details of the experimental and simulation results.

Presents information on a study that assessed wide bandgap semiconductors for power devices. Optimal semiconductor materials; Critical electric field and bandgap energy; Specific on-resistance calculation and comparison.