CHAPTER THREE

SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICE &

AND MOTOR CONTROLING

Power electronics
Power electronics refers to control and conversion of electrical power by power
semiconductor devices wherein these devices operate as switches.
Power electronics relates to the control and flow of electrical energy.
Control is done using electronic switches, capacitors, magnetics, and control
systems.
Scope of power electronics: milliWatts ⇒ gigaWatts
Power electronics is a growing field due to the improvement in switching
technologies.
Power electronics
• Heating and lighting control
Application
• Induction heating
• Electric power transmission
• Automotive electronics
• Motor drives
• Battery chargers
• Energy storage
• Electric vehicles
• Alternative power sources: Solar; Wind; Fuel Cells
• And more!
Power electronics
Tasks of Power Electronics

DC-to-AC conversion
DC-to DC conversion
AC-to-AC conversion
Power electronics
Converters
Electronic power converter is the term that is used to refer to a power
electronic circuit that converts voltage and current from one form to another.
•Rectifier converting an ac voltage to a dc voltage

•Inverter converting a dc voltage to an ac voltage

•Chopper that converts a dc voltage to another dc voltage

•Cycloconverter and cycloinverter converting an ac voltage to another

ac voltage.
Electrical circuit and Components
Practically all mechatronic systems contain electrical circuits and
components. To understand how to design and analyze the fundamentals of
basic electrical components and circuit analysis techniques is a necessity.
When electrons move, they produce an electrical current, and can do useful
things with the energized electrons.
A measure of the electric field’s potential is called voltage.
The movement of electrons is the current, that moves through the field.
Electrical circuit and Components

When we measure current through a circuit, we place a meter in the circuit

and let the current flow through it.
When we measure a voltage, we place two conducting probes on the points
across which we want to measure the voltage. Voltage is sometimes
referred to as electromotive force,or emf.
Current is defined as the time rate of flow of charge:
Electrical circuit and Components

The SI unit for current is the ampere(A), and charge is measured in

coulombs(C = A · s). When voltage and current in a circuit are constant (i.e.,
independent of time), their values and the circuit are referred to as direct
current or DC. When the voltage and current vary with time, usually
sinusoidal we refer to their values and the circuit as alternating current or AC.
Electrical circuit and Components

An electrical circuit is a closed loop consisting of several conductors connecting

electrical components. Conductors may be interrupted by components called
switches
Electrical circuit and Components
BASIC ELECTRICAL ELEMENTS
Active electrical elements
• Requires an external energy source

• Fundamental properties vary with input

• Usually fabricated from semi-conductor materials

• can switch the flow of current

• Diodes, Transistors, etc…

Electrical circuit and Components

Passive electrical elements

There are three basic passive electrical elements:
• Resistor ( R)
• Capacitor ( C)
• Inductor ( L)
Passive elements require no additional power supply, unlike active
devices such as integrated circuits.
Electrical circuit and Components
Schematic symbols for basic electrical elements and semiconductor devices
Electrical circuit and Components

Resistor
A resistor is a dissipative element that converts electrical energy into heat.
Ohm’s law defines the voltage-current characteristic of an ideal resistor

Capacitor
A capacitor is a passive element that stores energy in the form of an electric
field. The simplest capacitor consists of a pair of parallel conducting plates
separated by a dielectric material.
Electrical circuit and Components

The dielectric material is an insulator that increases the capacitance as a result

of permanent or induced electric dipoles in the material.
Electrical circuit and Components
Inductor
An inductor is a passive energy storage element that stores energy in the form of
magnetic field. The simplest form of an inductor is a wire coil, which has a
tendency to maintain a magnetic field once established.
Other Components in Electrical circuit
1. Loudspeaker

An electric device used to convert electrical signal to

sounds
Electrical circuit and Components
Battery

An energy source that uses a chemical reaction to convert chemical energy to electrical
energy. It is composed of zinc, magnesium and a metal connector and lead out

Ground

Common reference point of circuits

Electrical circuit and Components
Antenna

Intercepts and collects the radio signal that comes from the transmitters of
radio or T.V stations.

Fuse

A protective device that blows open when there is excessive current

flow in the circuits.
Electrical circuit and Components
Switch
A mechanical device that is used to turn On and OFF a circuits. Momentarily
control the power in the circuit.

Push-button Switch Push button Switch

(Normally open) (Normally close)
Insulators, Metals and Semiconductors

Metals have a large number of weakly bound electrons in what is called their
conduction band ,when an electric field is applied to a metal, the electrons
migrate freely producing a current through the metal. Because of the ease by
which large currents can flow in metals, they are called conductors.
In contrast, other materials have atoms with valence electrons that are tightly
bound and when an electric field is applied, the electrons do not move easily.
These materials are called insulators and do not normally sustain large electric
currents.
Insulators, Metals and Semiconductors

In addition, a very useful class of materials, elements in group IV of the

periodic table, have properties somewhere between conductors and insulators.
They are called semiconductors.
Insulators, Metals and Semiconductors
Insulators

• have a large energy gap

• Have 8 valence electrons

• electrons can’t jump from valence to conduction bands & no current flows

• Insulators are used to prevent the flow of electricity.

• Materials in which electrons tend to stay put and do not flow easily from
atom to atom
Insulators, Metals and Semiconductors
Insulators Have 8 valence electrons
Insulators, Metals and Semiconductors
Conductors

(metals) have a very small (or nonexistent) energy gap

• current flows easily

• Have 1 valence electron
• Materials in which electrons can move freely from atom to atom
• In general all metals are good conductors.
• The purpose of conductors is to allow electrical current to flow with
minimum resistance.
Insulators, Metals and Semiconductors
Conductor Have 1 valence electrons
Insulators, Metals and Semiconductors

Semiconductors

• have a moderate energy gap

• only a few electrons can jump to the conduction band

• Have 4 valence electrons
• Materials which are neither conductors nor insulators
• Common semi conductor materials are carbon, germanium and silicone.
• Used in components like transistors
Insulators, Metals and Semiconductors
Semiconductors Have 4 valence electrons
Insulators, Metals and Semiconductors

Conduction
Band

Valence
Band

Conductor Semiconductor Insulator

Semiconductor

Silicon
• Basic building material of most integrated circuits
• Has four valence electrons, which allow it to form four covalent bonds.
• Silicon crystal is an insulator-- no free electrons.
Semiconductor

Adding energy to the crystal creates a ‘hole’

Adding energy (heat) to the crystal causes electrons to jump to a higher energy
level, creating a ‘hole’.
Improving Conduction by Doping

To make semiconductors better conductors, add impurities (dopants) to

contribute extra electrons or extra holes.
• elements with 5 outer electrons contribute an extra electron to the
lattice (donor dopant)
• elements with 3 outer electrons accept an electron from the silicon
(acceptor dopant)
Improving Conduction by Doping
Dopant types
1.N-type (Negative) – doped with donor elements
• Free flowing electrons are added to the silicon crystal
structure. Having five electrons in their valence orbit.
This frees an electron from the crystal lattice, thus
producing an “N-type’’ semiconductor.
• Examples include Group V elements
including Phosphorous, Arsenic, and Antimony.
Improving Conduction by Doping
2. P-type(Positive)- doped with acceptor elements
• Lack electrons and serve as potential slots for
migrating electrons. Having 3 electrons in their
valence bond. This leaves a hole in the crystal
structure, thus producing a ‘’p-type’’
semiconductor.
• Examples include Group III elements such as
Boron, Aluminum, and Gallium
Semiconductor diode
A diode is an electrical device allowing current to move through it in
one direction. The most common kind of diode in modern circuit design is
the semiconductor diode.

Semiconductor diodes are symbolized

in schematic diagrams such as

Semiconductor diode
JUNCTION DIODE

The p-type side of the diode is referred to as the anode and the n-type side is
called the cathode.
The pn junction, electrons from the n-type silicon can diffuse to occupy the
holes in the p-type silicon, creating what is called a depletion region.
Semiconductor diode
Semiconductor diode
If a voltage source is connected to the pn junction with the positive side of the
voltage source connected to the anode and the negative side connected to the
cathode forming a complete circuit, the diode is said to be forward biased.
If a anode is connected to the n-type silicon and the cathode to the p-type
silicon, the depletion region is enlarged, inhibiting diffusion of electrons and
thus current; we say the junction is reverse biased.
Semiconductor diode
• The construction and symbol of diode

Made from a combination of 2 extrinsic semiconductors, P-type ad N-type

material. The joint between the P-type and N-type material is called PN
junction. Have 2 terminal( anode and cathode).
➢The polarity of applied voltage which causes charge to flow through the
diode is called Forward Bias. The polarity of applied voltage which can't
produce any current is called Reverse Bias.
Semiconductor diode
Why do we need diodes ?
• Signal processing

• Voltage regulation

• Signal indication (LED)