4.2.2.

The Power MOSFET

Source
• Gate lengths
Gate approaching one
micron
• Consists of many
n n n n small enhancement-
p p mode parallel-
connected MOSFET
cells, covering the
n- surface of the silicon
wafer
n • Vertical current flow
• n-channel device is
shown
Drain

Fundamentals of Power Electronics 46 Chapter 4: Switch realization

 MOSFET: Off state

source –
• p-n- junction is
reverse-biased
• off-state voltage
n n n n appears across n-
p p region

depletion region
n-

drain +

Fundamentals of Power Electronics 47 Chapter 4: Switch realization

 MOSFET: on state

source • p-n- junction is

slightly reverse-
biased
• positive gate voltage
n n n n induces conducting
p p channel
• drain current flows
channel through n- region
n- and conducting
channel
n • on resistance = total
resistances of n-
region, conducting
drain drain current channel, source and
drain contacts, etc.

Fundamentals of Power Electronics 48 Chapter 4: Switch realization

 MOSFET body diode

source • p-n- junction forms

an effective diode, in
parallel with the
channel
n p n n n • negative drain-to-
p source voltage can
forward-bias the
Body diode body diode

n- • diode can conduct

the full MOSFET
rated current
n
• diode switching
speed not optimized
drain
—body diode is
slow, Qr is large

Fundamentals of Power Electronics 49 Chapter 4: Switch realization

 Typical MOSFET characteristics

• Off state: VGS < Vth

00V

0V
• On state: VGS >> Vth

=1
=2
10A
V

DS
=2

DS

V
• MOSFET can
V
V DS
ID conduct peak
currents well in
on state
excess of average
5A
1V
current rating
V DS = —characteristics are
unchanged
off V DS = 0.5V
state • on-resistance has
positive temperature
0A coefficient, hence
0V 5V 10V 15V
easy to parallel
VGS

Fundamentals of Power Electronics 50 Chapter 4: Switch realization

 A simple MOSFET equivalent circuit

D
• Cgs : large, essentially constant
• Cgd : small, highly nonlinear
Cgd
• Cds : intermediate in value, highly
G nonlinear
Cds
• switching times determined by rate
Cgs at which gate driver
charges/discharges Cgs and Cgd

C0 V0 C '0
Cds(vds) = Cds(vds) ≈ C0 vds = vds
v
1 + ds
V0

Fundamentals of Power Electronics 51 Chapter 4: Switch realization

 Switching loss caused by
semiconductor output capacitances

Buck converter example

Cds

Vg + Cj
–
+
–

Energy lost during MOSFET turn-on transition

(assuming linear capacitances):
W C = 12 (Cds + C j) V 2g

Fundamentals of Power Electronics 52 Chapter 4: Switch realization

 MOSFET nonlinear Cds

Approximate dependence of incremental Cds on vds :

V0 C '0
Cds(vds) ≈ C0 vds = vds

Energy stored in Cds at vds = VDS :

V DS
W Cds = vds i C dt = vds C ds(vds) dvds
0
V DS
W Cds = C '0(vds) vds dvds = 23 Cds(VDS) V 2DS
0

4
— same energy loss as linear capacitor having value 3 Cds(VDS)

Fundamentals of Power Electronics 53 Chapter 4: Switch realization

 Characteristics of several commercial power MOSFETs

Part number Rated max voltage Rated avg current R on Qg (typical)

IRFZ48 60V 50A 0.018Ω 110nC

IRF510 100V 5.6A 0.54Ω 8.3nC
IRF540 100V 28A 0.077Ω 72nC
APT10M25BNR 100V 75A 0.025Ω 171nC
IRF740 400V 10A 0.55Ω 63nC
MTM15N40E 400V 15A 0.3Ω 110nC
APT5025BN 500V 23A 0.25Ω 83nC
APT1001RBNR 1000V 11A 1.0Ω 150nC

Fundamentals of Power Electronics 54 Chapter 4: Switch realization

 MOSFET: conclusions

G A majority-carrier device: fast switching speed

G Typical switching frequencies: tens and hundreds of kHz
G On-resistance increases rapidly with rated blocking voltage
G Easy to drive
G The device of choice for blocking voltages less than 500V
G 1000V devices are available, but are useful only at low power levels
(100W)
G Part number is selected on the basis of on-resistance rather than
current rating

Fundamentals of Power Electronics 55 Chapter 4: Switch realization