Implementation of high peak-current IGBT gate drive circuits in VLSI compatible BiCMOS technology

A BiCMOS integrated gate-drive (IGD) application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) has been implemented in a 18 V, 3 /spl mu/m BiCMOS technology for insulated gate bipolar transistor- (IGBT-) based intelligent power modules (IPM). It features various monitoring and control functions such as linear dV/dt feedback and master-slave control of IGBT's, and is capable of delivering 16-18 A peak current to high capacitive loads. Classic formulas on the current capability of bipolar junction transistors (BJT's), MOSFET's, and metal conductors are briefly reviewed and additional experiments are presented in the context of our application.