10 kV RC-IGCT and Fast Recovery Diode: with an Improved Technology Trade-off Performance

Abstract:
In this paper, we present the improved technology trade-off performance of the newly developed 10 kV Reverse Conducting - Integrated Gate Commutated Thyristor (RC-IGCT) and 10 kV Fast Recovery Diode (FRD). Thanks to the new diode technology (i.e., structured cathode design along with the modified anode profile), which enables to realize the devices on thinner Si thereby improving significantly the technology trade-off while maintaining the diode reverse recovery softness under extreme snap-off conditions. The devices are characterized at 4.7 kV nominal dc-link voltage and 5.3 kV safe operating area (SOA) dc-link voltage. Furthermore, the cosmic ray hardiness of these devices is presented. The newly developed 10 kV RC-IGCT could be a device of choice for the low switching frequency high voltage power electronics applications (for output voltages in the range of 6 to 6.9 kVrms and power levels up to 10 MW), where one device could replace complicated series connection of two 4.5 kV or 5.5 kV devices per switch position. The 10 kV FRD is also developed to be used in clamp diode and NPC diode positions in 3L-NPC topologies. This FRD can also be served as a freewheeling diode when the Asymmetric IGCT is used as a switch to reach higher output power levels (>15 MW).