Selecting Fuses for Power Semiconductor Devices

Considerable documentation is available from fuse manufacturers [1-4] on current-limiting fuses as applied to the isolation and protection of power semiconductor components, but there may be misunderstandings when interpreting corresponding withstand data from the manufacturers of power semiconductors. Although the Joint Electronic Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) [5] has published methods for verifying non-repetitive surge ratings for thyristors and diodes, some updating is needed in order to take into consideration the substantial increase in power ratings that have become available since that time.