Voltage Balancing of Series IGBTs in Short-Circuit Conditions

Abstract

This article proposes a scheme for balancing the voltage of series-connected insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), which is also very effective under short-circuit conditions. An optimized clamp-mode snubber is proposed, including an active-driver to balance the currents of the IGBTs during short-circuit, which in turn allows for a considerable reduction of the snubber capacitance. The approach is proven to be effective under short-circuit conditions by a maximum of 55 V voltage increment and a negligible difference in the current values. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated through simulations in PSPICE software and experimental tests performed at 2 kV.