Interaction of high power p-i-n diodes and driving circuits during forward-bias switching

The current and voltage waveforms for forward switching high power p-i-n diodes are investigated. Equations of the driving waveforms and a charge storage equation are developed within the constraints of driving device(s) and line parasitic elements. The forward-bias transition is divided into piecewise-linear regions, where the two end steady states are considered as boundary regions and equivalent circuits with first-order device models are used. It is shown that the forward-bias transition is not necessarily a fast transition without `overdrive', and control of the parasitic elements may be needed to avoid unwanted oscillatory effects, especially in the capacitor discharging region. Plots of the predicted waveforms are in good agreement with the ones obtained experimentally.