Comparison of different switched anode emitter short concepts for IGBTs

A major step for improvement of bipolar power devices with both reduced on-state and switching losses and much enhanced operating temperature range is the introduction of switched anode emitter shorts. For this kind of smart switching circuitry, it is necessary to provide the device with appropriate control. In this paper, three different switching concepts are proposed and investigated in detail. In switched short anode emitters, the optimization concepts for doping profiles and emitter shunt resistance differ essentially from the optimum concepts in "normally" shorted or shallow anode emitters. It is desirable to switch the emitter from very high to very low efficiency. This has consequences for bidirectional lateral IGBTs, where switchable emitter shorts are inherently integrated, but are not very efficient. Improved emitter configurations are proposed which are suitable for the investigated switching concepts.