5 - Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor

Abstract

The insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), which was introduced in early 1980s, is becoming a successful device because of its superior characteristics. IGBT is a three-terminal power semiconductor switch used to control the electrical energy. As high stress conditions are quite frequent in circuit applications, it is extremely cost efficient and pertinent to model the IGBT performance under these conditions. The IGBTs are replacing MOSFETs in high-voltage applications with lower conduction losses. They have on-state voltage and current density comparable to a power BJT with higher switching frequency. Although they exhibit fast turn-on, their turn-off is slower than a MOSFET because of current fall time. A portion of minority carriers injected into the drift region from the collector of an IGBT flows directly to the emitter terminal. The negative charge of electrons in the inversion layer attracts the majority of holes and generates the lateral component of hole current through the p-type body layer.