Comparison of the state-of-the-art high power IGBTs, GCTs and ETOs

In this paper, a comparison of three semiconductor devices suitable for high power applications is presented. All devices feature high switching speed and snubberless turn-off capability. The devices compared include one high voltage insulated gate bipolar transistor (HVIGBT) and two types of hard-driven GTO thyristor-the gate commutated turn-off (GCT) thyristor and the emitter turn-off (ETO) Thyristor. The conduction and switching characteristics are compared, and an assessment is presented of the impact on high-power converter circuits for these devices. Test results are shown.