Short-circuit capability of IGBT (COMFET) transistors

The IGBT (insulated-gate bipolar transistor) or COMFET (conductivity-modulated field-effect transistor) has the same low drive requirements as for MOSFETs and the same carrier injection as a bipolar transistor, giving a low voltage drop even at high breakdown voltage ratings. The authors study the short-circuit capability. The high-current level or active region is found for different IGBTs. The short-circuit endurance time is investigated. The measurements show clear differences between the IGBTs from different manufacturers. The gate voltage is shown to be an important parameter.<>