A novel free wheeling diode for 1700 V IGBT module

A novel free wheeling diode with its blocking capability of 1700 V is presented to realize an excellent trade-off characteristic between a forward voltage drop and a reverse recovery loss, for the first time. A superior forward voltage drop (Vf) of 1.85 V with the reverse recovery loss (Err) of 13.0 mJ is successfully achieved (a rated current is set at 100 amperes). These values of Vf and Err indicate the much superior trade-off characteristic to the conventional FWD. Furthermore, it should be noted that the newly developed FWD achieves a positive temperature coefficient of Vf, which is more advantageous for parallel connection of an IGBT module.