Comparison of IGBT and MOSFET inverters in low-power BLDC motor drives

In recent years, IGBTs and MOSFETs are the most widely used power devices for small-power motor drive applications. Both devices have their own distinct characteristics. In this paper, the power rating and the efficiency of IGBT inverters and MOSFET inverters are compared. This comparison demonstrates the effect of different types of thermal management, PWM methods and switching frequencies. For this comparison, Fairchild's SPM^TM (Smart Power Module) is adopted as three-phase IGBT and MOSFET inverter. Through this experiment and simulation, device power rating is calculated and analyzed for BLDC drive inverter.