POWER ELECTRONIC SWITCmNG DEVICES

by K. C. Daly
School of Electrical Engineering
UNSW

CONTENTS

O Functions of Power Electronic Equipment

2.0

The Ideal Switch

2.1 Differences between Power Electronic Switches and Mechanical Switches
2.2 Categories of Semiconductor Switches

3 .O Important Semiconductor Switch Ratings

3.1 Surge and Transient Ratings
3.2 Current and Voltage Ratings
3.3 Power and Temperature Ratings
3.4 Series and Parallel Connections of Switching devices
4.0

Losses in Power Semiconductor Switches

4.1 On-state Losses
4 .2 Off-state Losses
4.3 Tum-on Losses
4.4 Tum-off Losses

5.0

Chopper Circuit/Force Commutated Device and Uncontrolled Device

5.1 Circuit Operation
5.2 Diode Reverse Recovery Current

6.0

Single Phase Thyristor Bridge/Naturally Commutated Devices

6.1 Rectifier Mode
6.2 Device Commutation

Functions of Power Electronic Equipment

Tbe functions perfonned by power electronic equipment can be grouped as follows:

1;

conversion of electrical energy from one form to another i.e. AC to DC

(rectification), OC to AC (inversion) etc.,

(2)

sourcelload connection/disconnection i.e. electronic relay function

(3)

power conditioning; reactive power control, hannonic filtering etc.,

These functions are ali achieved by the use of power semiconductor devices entirely in
switch-mode, ie. the devices are either in the conductive state or the non-conductive
state. So in one sense, power electronics is the application of digital electronics for
power control.

The Ideal Switch

The analysis of power electronic circuits is usually carried out by assuming that the
power electronic devices are behaving as ideal switches, and the assumptions
underpinning an ideal switch are useful because tbey focus attention on tbe non-idealities
of real semiconductor switches. The assumptions for an ideal switch are;
(1}

when closed, zero voltage drop occurs across the terminals no matter what current
flows; i.e. it is a perfect short circuit

(2) when open, no current flows and any voltage can be supported across the
terminals; ie. it is a perfect open circuit

(3)

able to make the transition from closed to open and from open to closed in zero
time

As a result of tbese assumptions, the ideal switch is lossless. Like tbe ideal transformer,
the ideal switch doesn't exist, but it gives a yardstick against which real switches can be
measured.

Differences between Power Electronic Switches and Mechanical

Switch es
The main difference between power electronic switches and mechanical switches is that
power electronic switches have almost no capability to dissipate power compared to
mechanical switches, both in steady state operation andina one-off (surge) situation.
They have a low continuous power dissipation anda low one-off, or surge, capability.
When a semiconductor device turns off, it is always necessary to ensure that the current
diverted from it has somewhere to go, probably through anotber semiconductor.

2. 2 Categories of Semiconductor Switches

A fundamental division is between those switches which have a control terminal to allow
them to operate independently of the externa! circuit and those which just respond to the
circuit.

Uncontrolled : diodes - these conduct whenever current is flowing in the forward

direction and block current at other times.
Controlled:
(a)

can only be tumed on from the control terminal - this group contains the thyristor
and its variants. These devices can be triggered into conduction when the switch
terminal voltage is positive and can only conduct current in one direction.

(b)

can be tumed on and off from a control terminal - this is by far the largest group
and contains transistors, which can conduct current in one direction and block voltage
in one direction. They are tumed on by the application of a continuous
current to the control terminal (base).
MOSFET's, which effectively have a diode in inverse parallel and so they
can control current flow in only one direction. They are gated on by the
application of a voltage to the control terminal (gate) but draw no steady
state gate current because the gate is insulated from the other 2 terminals.
Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT's) which attempt to combine the
low on-state voltage and high voltage blocking capability of a transistor
with the simplified gating characteristics of a MOSFET. They conduct in
one direction and only block in one direction as well.
Gate Turnoff Thyristors (GTO's), which as their name implies are
thyristors which can be turned off from the gate - however not without
sorne difficulty. Sorne types can block voltage in both directions and
sorne can't. They only conduct in one direction.
MOS Controlled Thyristors (MCT's) which have a thyristor structure and
a MOS-style gate which allows them to be tumed on and off from the
gate. They can block voltage in both directions and conduct only in one
direction.

3. O lmportant Semiconductor Switch Ratings

Power semiconductor switches are physically very small and are not designed to be able
to dissipate large amounts of power either in transient or continuous operation. Rather
they are meant to be able to dissipate the power which arises from their own non-ideal
switch behaviour and not from any associated circuitry.
The current technology for semiconductor switch fabrication is doped silicon and so the
fundamental limitation in the operation of the device under all circumstances is the
temperature at which the doping materials start to react chemically with the silicon. Once
this begins, it is irreversible and the junctions cease to perform as designed.

3. 1 Surge and Transient Ratings

Semiconductor switches aren't designed to be withstand much in the way of nonrepetitive surge currents. Nevertheless, for devices such as thyristors and diodes, which

are the most rugged of the available devices, manufacturers usually give an I2t rating for
a single half sine wave of 20 ms or 16.7 ms duration.

3. 2 Current and Voltage Ratings

The maximum current a device can handle and the maximum voltage it can block without
breaking down are the most important parameters for a device as far as applications are
concemed. Exceeding the maximum voltage rating isn't in itself fatal for the device,
provided the resulting current flow and power dissipation is limited. Overcurrent causes
the wire bonding the semiconductor crystal to the terminal outside the package to melt.

3 . 3 Power and Temperature Ratings

The maximum junction temperature a dev~c~ can withstand is the fundamental rating.
From it can be calculated the maximum power dissipation within the device provided the
thermal conductivities from within the device to the heatsink and the cooling medium
(usually air but sometimes water) are known.

3 . 4 Series and Parallel Connections of Switching devices

For sorne applications, the voltages or currents involved are such that no single
semiconductor switch can satisfy the requirements and so parallel or series connections
are needed.
To achieve a higher voltage rating, switching devices can be connected in parallel. Care
needs to be exercized at switching transitions to ensure that differences in the switching
behaviour of individual devices in the series connected string don't lead to one device
being subjected to excessive voltage before the other devices switch.
Parallel connection can be used to achieve a higher current rating for the switch, but in
this case care is needed to ensure that the parallel connected devices share current.
Transistors are notoriously unreliable in this regard because as a transistor gets hotter its
current gain increases which means for the same base current it can carry more current
and so get hotter still - the "current hogging" phenomenon. MOSFET's on the other
hand, increase their on-state resistance as their temperature rises, which tends to decrease
the current in the device.

4 . O Losses in Power Semiconductor Swltches

For semiconductor devices which are used in switch-mode, it is convenient to
characterize their power dissipation in terms of the 4 states which they cycle through, viz
the on and off states and the transitions between on and off states. Typical waveforms
for the current and voltage in a thyristor through a full cycle of operation are shown in
figure 4.1

'1

ano~'tkotk.

I .~.

'T

"o 1f'&,:i e..

- "Vo.ff
'

1
1

1 t.

.,. ,.)t~..;(

Figure 4.1

Thyristor Switching Waveforms

For sorne devices it is also convenient to represent these switching characteristics in an IV plane with time a parameter along the trajectory. In figure 4.2 below, this is illustrated
for a transistor

ce l ~,...../ fV'ttt 1 ~

Figure 4.2

Vol+~~
Transistor Switching Trajectory in 1-V Plane

The loss associated with the transition betwcen on and off is called the turn-off loss
while that between the off and on states is called the turn-on loss. The total loss due to
the transitions (off to on and on to off) is oftcn referred to as the switching loss.
Each of the 4 loss components is calculated by averaging the instantaneous power loss
for the corresponding time interval over a complete switching period. For example, if
the current and voltage for a particular device are i(t) and v(t) during the on-time when O
S t S t 1 and the total switching period is T, then the on-state loss is given by

pon

=~

t '

i (1) V (1) di

4. 1 On-state Losses
In an ideal switch thc on-state loss would be zero. However in a semiconductor switch
there is always a small voltage drop associated with the on-state due to the resistance of
the semiconductor material and the voltages associated with the semiconductor junctions.
The magnitude of the on-state voltage, Y00, usually increases with current, I 00, and is
often modelled by

Yon =Yo+ glon

where Y0 and g are constants which differ for classes of devices (thyristors,
transistors etc.) and for power levels within device classes. The product of the on-state
voltage with the on-state current then provides the on-state losses. Since the on-state
voltage is only wealdy dependant on the on-state current, the on-state power loss is
roughly proportional to the switching device duty cycle which is then dependant on the
application.

4. 2 Off-state Losses
When a semiconductor switch turns off, there is still sorne residual current flow. referred
to as lcakage current, usually due to thermal generation of carriers where they aren't
wanted. The off-statc voltage multiplied by the leakage current then provides the offstate power losses. In modero semiconductors, the off-state loss is so small that it is
usually neglected, however care needs to be exercized as it is strongly temperature
dependant.

4. 3 Turn-on Losses
During tum-on, both the current and the voltage of the switching device change
simultaneously and so their product can be much larger than the instantaneous power
during on and off states. However, if the duration of the transition is very brief, then the
average dissipation is small. At tum-on, the device current rises from the negligibly
small leakage current to the on-state current while the device voltagc falls from the offstate voltage to the small on-state voltage. The transition period, called the tum-on time
is a function of thc class of switching device, the circuitry driving the device and the
associated power circuitry. The turn-on time is reasonably independent of the application
and hence the tum-on losses are proportional to switching frequency

4.4 Turn-off Losses

During turn-off, both the current and the voltage of the switching device change
simultaneously and so their product can be much larger than the instantaneous power
during on and off states. However, if the duration of the transition is very brief, then the
average dissipation is small. At turn-off, the device current falls from the on-state
current to the negligibly small leakage current while the device voltage rises from the onstate voltage to the high off-state voltage. The transition period, called the turn-off time,
is a function of the class of switching device, the circuitry driving the device and the
associated power circuitry. The turn-off time is reasonably independent of the
application and hence the turn-off losses are proportional to switching frequency.

S. O Chopper Circuit I Force Commutated Device and Uncontrolled

De vice
The purpose of this chopper circuit is to control the flow of power from a DC voltage
source to a load which consists of an RL circuit. This is achieved by using a forced
commutated device (MOSFET, transistor, IGBT etc.,) which is turned on to allow
current to flow from the voltage source into the load for a variable fraction of the
switching cycle. The greater the fraction of a switching cycle that the load is connected
to the voltage source, the greater the current in the load and consequently the greater the
power dissipated in the loa~.

Figure S.0.1

DC Chopper Circuit

S. 1 Circuit Operation
During the on time of the semiconductor switch, current builds up in the RL load and so
when the device is turned off provision must be made to accommodate the current in the

inductance. Otherwise, if the current in the inductance falls to zero in a stepwise fashion,
then the voltage across the inductance will be an impulse (v =Ldi/dt) and so the voltage
across the terminals of the semiconductor switch will be very high, most likely in excess
of the rating of the device.
The diode connected across the RL load prevents this happening by providing a current
path for the load current when the main switching device tums off.
Treating the semiconductor switches as ideal switches and also assuming that the time
constant of the RL circuit is very much greater than the switching period, the waveforms
in the circuit would appear as shown in figure 5.1.1.

.,
!------------;,-------------._
1

1
1

'T

''

r.s

r-

~u.r-r'~
C...\.\. rr-4...h

'r

Figure 5.1.1

Idealized Chopper Waveforms

Particular attention should be paid to the current, 15 , drawn from the source. Although
the voltage source is DC, the current drawn is pulsating. This situation is typical of
power electronic circuits ie. source voltage and current are seldom of the same type.

S. 2 Diode Reverse Recovery Current

The waveforms of fig 5.1.1. allow the semiconductor on-state losses to be calculated
provided their on-state voltages are known. However, to find the switching losses the
fine detall of the on-off and off-on transitions of the devices is required. Figure 5.2.l
shows the transistor turn-on/diode turn-off transition.

'~ r .,r..- r,..,..

1
~r-AnS \.Sit>r-_

_t
1

""--------- T....

CU.t""AA+

o.n.cl.
vol~

- - _ J. - - ....

.'_Vr

el tecle.
CJ..t~<r+
6'.hd...

\Jol-1-a....~e._

- - - - - - --

+ra.hs l~+ot
""~

cA1 o A.e.

powe.r
du;. s,. 1 f o..:t"1e \.'\
Figure S.2.1 : Transistor Turn-on
When the transistor is tumed on, the collector current ramps up according to the base
drive applied. The diode current ramps down at the same rate because the sum of the
diode and transistor currents equals the inductor current which is constant over an
interval as short as a switching transition. As the diode current reaches zero is goes
negative for a short time because of reverse recovery current which is needed to establish
the blocking capability of the junction. Once this is achieved the diode current rises to
zero.
At turn-off of the transistor, the diode can't begin to conduct until the transistor voltage
has slightly exceeded ~e supply voltage. Under control of the transistor base current the
transistor voltage ramps up while the current remains constant because of the load
inductance. As the diode begins to conduct, the diode current ramps up while the
transistor current ramps down. This is illustrated in figure 5.2.2.

6,'C)d,~

! .

curr~n+

ahd.

"'~~
-\le.U..

:.

. ..

~ ~.

-~ -'

-- ~ "b -

-+ra.h~~-tor
a ncL dl o&~

ro-.>e..~\.SSl r.cJf'lOk

Figure S.2.2

Transistor Turn-off

6 . O Single Phase Thyristor Bridge/Naturally Commutated Devices

The purpose of this circuit is to convert fixed frequency AC to DC and vice versa ie.
from DC to fixed frequcncy AC. Practica! applications of this circuit would nonnally be
multi-phase rather than the single phase circuit shown here, but the principies are more
easily illustrated in the single phase case and the extension to more phases is straightforward.
Multi-phase versions of this circuit are used in AC/DC (rectifier) applications. HVDC
systems are comprised of one such unit at each end of the transmission line, one
operating as a rectifier and the other asan inverter. Reversing the operating mode of
each unit leads to a reversa! of the direction of powcr flow in the transmission line.

10

R
V~

Figure 6.0.1

Single Phase Thyristor Bridge Circuit

Circuits with low frequency (SO Hz) AC sources are ideally suited to thyristor
applications because
(a)

the inability to turn off the thyristor from the gate isn't a disadvantage - the voltages
in the circuit reverse because of their AC nature and so tumoff of one thyristor can
be achieved by turn-on of another in the circuit

{b)

the low frequencies involved mean that the thyristor with its low switching speed
and reverse recovery problems is able to get by.

6. 1 Circuit Operation/Rectifier Mode

Operation of the circuit in rectifier mode can be explained with the assistance of the
wavefonns in figure 6.1.1. It is assumed that the time constant of the load viz., l1R is
very much longer than the period of the AC voltage, VpSinwt. This means that the
current flowing in the OC side of the bridge, 1, is constant.

11
So u.re.e..
Vol~

..

n"'.s

T~ ...

....
...
;f'

'~~
.

...

~ns~r
/co..4oJ.e.
\JOU~

"t") vt..,
....... ,"),.1 ,

Figure 6.1.1

"'

Thyristor Bridge Circuit Waveforms

'

,..
-'-Al 1:-

12

The thyristors are gated in pairs, Thlffh2 together and Th3ffh4 together. At wt =O,
Th3ffh4 are conducting and so the current Ioc is flowing into the positive terminal of
the AC source and the voltage across each of Thlffh2 is Vpsinwt which becomes
increasingly positive and forward biases Thlffh2 as time increases from zero. If
triggering is delayed until wt > Tt/2, then the peak positive voltage across the thyristors
will be Vp At wt =a. trigger pulses are applied and Thlffh2 come on and Th3ffh4
go off. The next section examines this commutation in more detail.
The current Ioc now flows out of the positive terminal of the AC source and the voltage
across the "off' devices Th3ffh4 is Ypsin(wt - Tt), which means they can't be
triggered into conduction from the gate. Observe that the peak negative voltage across
the device is VP and so the thyristors must be selected to be able to sustain this voltage.
However, for wt > Tt, Vpsin(wt - 1t) becomes positive again and so Th3/Th4 are again
able to be triggered. This occurs at 1t + a.,. ~d so the cycle proceeds.
Note that the current drawn from the AC source is a square wave not sinusoidal. This is
typical of thyristor switching circuits and considerable ingenuity needs to be applied to
make the current more nearly sinusoidal. Having more phases available, or generating
them in sorne way makes obtaining sinusoidal current easier.
The other aspect of the AC current is its phase shift with respect to the source voltage. If
a Fourier analysis is applied to Iac then the fundamental lags the applied voltage by wt
= a.. Since the source voltage is sinusoidal, real power transfer occurs only at the
fundamental frequency and is given by

p =

(~) (;~)cosa.

If a. > Tt/2, then P is negative and there is the possibility of transfer of power from the
DC side to the AC side. This is referred to as inverter mode.

The waveforms of Figure 6.1.1 allow on-state losses for the thyristors to be calculated
provided Ioc is known as well as the on-state voltages for the devices. Each device
conducts for a half cycle of the AC supply. If the on-state voltages are identical at VT,
then the on state losses are 2~c VT.

6. 2 Device Commutation
To calculate the switching losses, the behaviour of the circuit for the much smaller time
frame associated with the abrupt changes in figure 6.1.1 must be examined. For this
purpose the circuit can be simplified to that shown in Figure 6.2.1, where the AC source
voltage has been replaced by a OC source, because it is constant over the period involved
in commutation and the DC side of the circuit is replaced by a current source for the same
reason. In addition, a small inductance is placed in series with the AC source. This
could be due to the leakage inductance of a transformer or to di/dt limiting inductors
placed in series with each thyristor.

13

--------------Le..

Vr sn1

e{

Figure 6.2.1 : Circuit during Commutation Time

Initially the current in the commutation inductance, Le, is Iac = -loe, but after the
Thyristors Thlffh2 come on the voltage across Le becomes Vpsin a. >O and so Iac
begins to increase. The current on the DC side is constant, so the current falls in
Th3ffh4 at a rate determined by Vpsin a.ILc and rises in Th-lffh2 at the same rate.
The current in a thyristor can't become negative on a permanent basis, however it can
briefly become negative because of the charge requirements for the junctions to be able to
block voltage. Thereafter, the current drops rapidly to zero and the reverse voltage
becomes equal to Vpsin a.. This is illustrated in figure 6.2.2.

V-'vz.)
- V-t

I
--;{

Figure 6.2.2 : Commutation Waveforms

In order to calculate the switching loss, the manner in which the current in the off-going
thyristor returns to zero needs to be known. Since the on-coming devices have their
voltage fall to zero before the current rises appreciably, turn on loss is zero. However,
tum-off loss depends on the latter part of the reverse recovery interval.