Comparison Between Thyristor and IGBT

 Thyristor and IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) are two types of semiconductor devices with three terminals and both of them are used to control currents. Both devices have a controlling terminal called ‘gate’ but have different principles of operation. The thyristor is made of four alternating semiconductor layers (in the form of P-N-P-N), therefore, consists of three PN junctions. In the analysis, this is considered as a tightly coupled pair of transistors (one PNP and other in NPN configuration). The outermost P and N-type semiconductor layers are called anode and cathode respectively. The electrode connected to the inner P-type semiconductor layer is known as the ‘gate’. In operation, the thyristor acts conducting when a pulse is provided to the gate. It has three modes of operation known as ‘reverse blocking mode’, ‘forward blocking mode’, and ‘forward conducting mode’. Once the gate is triggered with the pulse, the thyristor goes to the ‘forward conducting mode’ and keeps conducting until the forward current becomes less than the threshold ‘holding current’.

 

Thyristors are power devices and most of the time they are used in applications where high currents and voltages are involved. The most used thyristor application is controlling alternating currents. IGBT is a semiconductor device with three terminals known as ‘Emitter’, ‘Collector’ and ‘Gate’. It is a type of transistor, which can handle a higher amount of power and has a higher switching speed making it highly efficient. IGBT has been introduced to the market in the 1980s. IGBT has the combined features of both MOSFET and bipolar junction transistor (BJT). It is gate driven like MOSFET and has current-voltage characteristics like BJTs. Therefore, it has the advantages of both high current handling capability and ease of control. IGBT modules (consists of a number of devices) handle kilowatts of power.

Advantages of IGBT Compared to MOSFET and BJT

For a power semiconductor device, usually widely used as a switch or rectifier in power supply applications, one of its particularly important requirements relates to the characteristic of breakdown voltage to endure high voltage. As devices in such applications evolve, a great deal of effort has been paid to boast the breakdown voltage. The fruit of such efforts is an IGBT, gradually gaining wider applications for modern devices and appliances due to its various advantages. The IGBT is an element combining the advantages of the MOSFET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) structure as well as the advantages of BJT (Bipolar Junction Transistor) structure. Combined with the fast switching characteristic of the MOSFET along with the high-current and low-saturation-voltage capability of the BJT, the IGBT expands its scope of applications such as display, automobile, motor, and household appliances. Breakdown voltage under the high voltage environment is a key characteristic required in the IGBT, which is therefore designed by implementing an edge-termination structure — called edge termination region — in the lateral side of its junction so as to alleviate the electric field in the junction edge.

Siemens to Install State-of-the-Art IGBT Technology for Indian Railways

IGBTs are state-of-the-art power electronics for the traction system of electric and diesel-electric rail vehicles. The main benefit of IGBT is that it reduces the requirement for current, minimizing heat and traction noise while also making the acceleration process efficient. Automation solutions provider Siemens Limited has bagged the contract to install state-of-the-art IGBT technology for Indian Railways. The company will be designing, supplying, and installing alternating current (AC) traction systems for dual cab high horsepower diesel engine locomotive for diesel locomotive works (DLW). "The systems have been developed based on the state-of-the-art insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) technology. The AC traction systems will be produced at its factory at Nashik, Maharashtra, India" the company said.

Hopewind de China Selecciona Los Módulos LoPak de ABB Luego de Dos Años de Pruebas Intensivas

Después de más de dos años de pruebas rigurosas, incluido un año de operaciones de campo, el módulo LoPak IGBT de ABB ahora está calificado para ser utilizado por uno de los principales fabricantes de convertidores de energía eólica del mundo.

La compañía china Hopewind Electric Co., Ltd. de China tiene programada la entrega en volumen de módulos IGBT de potencia media LoPak de 1700 V / 450 A para su uso en aplicaciones de convertidores eólicos que operan entre 1,5 y 2,5 MW (megavatios). Esto sigue a la exitosa colaboración entre Hopewind, Sunking (socio de distribución en China) y el equipo de ABB Power Grids en Lenzburg, Pekín y Manila. La fase de producción actual de Hopewind generará hasta 2.000 MW utilizando energía eólica, una capacidad equivalente a las necesidades de un millón de hogares suizos.

Hopewind se centra en la investigación, fabricación, ventas y servicio de energía renovable y productos de accionamiento eléctrico, con sus productos principales que van desde la generación de energía eólica, la generación fotovoltaica y los productos de accionamiento industrial.

Impact of IGBTs in Our Daily Life

 IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) are widely used nowadays in transportation, renewable power generation, consumer, aircraft, medical, industrial, and financial sectors all over the world. As a result, billions of people from around the globe are enjoying enhanced comfort, convenience, and quality of life. IGBTs are known for their fantastic efficiency and speedy switching characteristics. These qualities make IGBTs very suitable for applications where saving energy and protecting the environment are very important. What would happen if all the IGBT were removed from the applications that they serve today?” The answer is quite revealing: Our new solar and wind-based renewable energy sources would not be able to deliver power to the grid because the inverters would stop functioning. Our gasoline power cars would stop running because the electronic ignition systems would no longer function. Our hybrid electric and electric cars would stop running because the inverters used to deliver power from the batteries to the motors would no longer function.

 

Our electric mass-transit systems would come to a standstill because the inverters used to deliver power from the power grid to the motors would no longer function. Our air-conditioning systems in homes and offices would stop working because the inverters used to deliver power from the utility company to the heat-pumps and compressors would no longer function. Our refrigerators and vending machines would no longer function making the delivery and storage of perishable products impossible. Our factories would come to a grinding halt because the numerical controls use to run the robots would cease to function. Our new low-energy compact fluorescent bulbs would stop functioning limiting our activities to the daytime. Our portable defibrillators recently deployed in emergency vehicles, on-board airplanes, and in-office buildings would no longer be operationally putting over 100,000 people at the risk of death from cardiac failure. In one statement, the quality of life in our society would be greatly deteriorated if the IGBT is no longer available. It is a blessing of modern science.

Fuji IGBT in CNC Machines

Numerical control (NC) is the mechanization of machine tools that are functioned by accurately programmed commands encoded on storage mean, as against to run manually via hand wheels or levers, or mechanically automated via cams alone. Most NCs today is computer numerical control (CNC), in which computers play an integral part of the control. Fuji Electric delivers high-performance power semiconductors for energy, automotive, information technology, and industrial applications. IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) made my Fuji is used widely in CNC plasma cutters and welding machines. Plasma cutting involves cutting a material using a plasma torch. It is commonly used to cut steel and other metals but can be used on a variety of materials. In this process, gas (such as compressed air) is blown at high speed out of a nozzle; at the same time, an electrical arc is formed through that gas from the nozzle to the surface being cut, turning some of that gas to plasma.

 The plasma is enough heated to melt the material being cut and moves pretty fast to blow molten metal away from the cut. Arc and tube welding machines are mostly used in industrial settings for building and repair of the infrastructure. Welding power supplies are required to create an electric arc between an electrode and the base material to melt the metals at the welding point. The arc can be created by either DC or AC current with consumable or non-consumable electrodes. The welding region is sometimes protected by some type of inert or semi-inert gas. Arc welding is popular due to low capital and running costs. For arc welding, the voltage is directly related to the length of the arc, and the current is related to the amount of heat input with typical currents of 50 to 500 amps depending on the size of the weld. For arc welding with low voltages and large currents, a soft-switching PWM DC-DC power converter with Fuji IGBT switches on the primary side of a high-frequency transformer is considered to be the most suitable topology for the welding power supply 110, 111.

 Power losses in the Fuji IGBTs are reduced by using soft switching resulting in a volume reduction of 59% and weight reduction of 47% compared with the hard-switching approach. Dynamic welding performance is improved due to operation at 40-kHz when compared with 13-kHz with hard-switching. We have been selling IGBT power transistor modules since 2001. Thyssen Krupp, OTIS, IXYS, SONY DADC, General Motors, Hongkong Electric Holdings Limited, Singapore Mass Rapid Transit Trains LTD, Verkehrsbetriebe Zurich, Czech Airlines, Molex, Cisco, Omron, Goodyear Tires, Thai AirAsia, Boeing, Xilinx, LEAR SIEGLER, and General Electric. We have a Quality Control Team like no other. This means that we know how to work hard in order to ensure to make sure that the quality of all of the parts we’re selling is high. Because we only sell new and original electronic parts, we provide our customers with a 30-day warranty. And because we have connections with IGBT power transistor modules manufacturers, OEMs and distributors, we’re able to pass any savings on to our customers, giving them a lower price while still providing them with the quality products they deserve. Our inventory is carefully managed and held to the highest standards, and stored in a controlled environment warehousing facility.