Robustness and turn-off losses of high voltage IGBT

A simple model for the turn-off of high voltage IGBTs with long carrier lifetime is derived from the device physics. It is used to get a better understanding of the behavior of the device during the turn-off transient and the influence of the gate drive and a capacitive snubber. The peak electric field and the overvoltage are analyzed and special effects of field stop devices are discussed.