Short circuit properties of Trench-/Field-Stop-IGBTs-design aspects for a superior robustness

This paper will discuss the different principal short circuit failure modes of IGBTs focusing on the new Trench-/Field-Stop-IGBT device concept. Beside the short circuit robustness limitation regarding an over temperature destruction, a new failure mode, the so called short circuit current destruction mode, is described. Necessary design aspects for Trench-/Field-Stop devices resulting in a superior short circuit robustness at least as good as the well established Non Punch Through IGBTs - are derived and proved experimentally by extreme single (e.g. Tj=200/spl deg/C!) and repetitive short circuit pulse tests (e.g. 50.000 times).