Static and dynamic characteristics of the 2.5kV/500A IGCTs

IGCT thyristor has many superior characteristics compared with the GTO thyristor. For example, snubberless turnoff capability, short storage time, high turn-on capability, small turn-off gate charge and low total power loss of the application system containing device and peripheral parts such as anode reactor and snubber capacitance. In these characteristics, particularly turn-off capabilities are much important parameter because applications conditions of conventional GTO thyristor are mainly restricted by the limit of these disadvantages of the GTO thyristor. The basic structure of the GCT thyristor is the same as that of the GTO thyristor. This makes the blocking voltage higher and the controllable on-state current higher. The turn-off characteristic of the GCT is influenced by the minority carrier lifetime and the performance of the gate drive circuit. In this paper, we present turn-off characteristics of the 2.5kV/500A PT(Punch-through) type IGCT as a function of the minority carrier lifetime and variation of the doping profile shape of p-base region. Current overshoot characteristics of the IGCT via the doping profile of the p-base region also present.