Bahir Dar Institute of Technology (BiT)

Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Advanced Power Electronics and its application

(EMeng- 6034)

for

MSc Students in Electro-Mechanical Engineering

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Gate Turn-off Thyristor (GTO)

A gate turn-off thyristor (known as a GTO) is a three-terminal power

semiconductor device that belongs to a thyristor family with a four-
layer structure.
They also belong to a group of power semiconductor devices that have
the ability to fully control on and off states via the control terminal
(gate).
Unlike a standard thyristor, a GTO is designed to turn off by applying
a negative gate signal.
 Gate Turn-off Thyristor . . .

GTOs are comparable with SCR in power

capacity having voltage and current rating in
the range of 6kV and 4kA.

 The p-n-p-n layers are the same as SCR except at

junction J3.
 At junction J3 the gate connection is designed in
such a way that the current injection from the
gate covers large or all of the junction J3 area.
4
 As the result, injection of large reverse current pulse on the gate
can stop the current flow from anode to cathode and switch-off
the device.
 The reverse gate current required can be as high as 20-30% of the
anode current which means low current gain.
 However; only a short period (order of 50ms) gate pulse is
required.
5 Advantages and Disadvantages of GTO compared to the standard SCR

Advantages Disadvantages

 GTO has faster switching speed  Magnitude of latching and

 Its surge current capability is holding currents are high in

comparable with SCR GTO

 It has more di/dt rating at turn-on  On state voltage drop and the

 GTO units has reduced acoustical and associated loss is more in a GTO

electromagnetic noise  Triggering gate current is higher

than the conventional SCR
(Dr. P.S. Bimbhra)
 Gate dive circuit losses are more
 Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT)
6
A BJT is a three layer (NPN or PNP), three terminal (collector, base and
emitter) power semiconductor device
Due to relatively easy mobility of electrons than holes NPN is most
common.
Collector C

IC
p
Base IB
VCE
n

p
J3 IE
E

Emitter
(a) (b)
 Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT) . . .

7
Operating principles can be seen by referring to I-V characteristics of
the BJT.
Current flows from collector to emitter while the base current is used
to control the current flow.
Therefore; BJT is a current controlled switch.
IC

Saturation line
Saturation region

IB2
Base current
IB1
P2 increasing
P1

IB=0

OFF
Cut-off region
 Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT) . . .

8  When base current (IB) increases from IB=0 to IB1 , IB2 etc collector
current also rises as shown in Fig. 2.9 (b).

(a) (b)
Fig. 2.9 npn transistor circuit characteristics, b) input chxs, c) output chxs and load line
 Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT) . . .

 As shown in Fig. 2.9 (b) from the two output curves, 1 for IB ≅ 0 and 2
for IB ≠ 0,
 The initial part of curve 2 characterized by low VCE, is called
saturation region and the transistor acts like a switch(at the region).
 The flat part of curve 2, indicated by increasing VCE and almost
constant IC, is the active region (acts like an amplifier)
 Almost vertically rising curve is the breakdown region (must be
avoided)
10  From Fig. 2.9 , for the load Resistor (RC or RL) the collector current IC
is given by

VCC  VCE
IC 
RC
 The collector current IC, though less than the emitter current IE, is
almost equal to IE.
 The symbol α (forward current gain) is used to indicate how close these
two currents are.

IC
 Since IC < IE value of α varies from 0.95 to 0.99.
IE
11  The ratio of collector current(output) IC and the base current (input) IB is known as
current gain β (or hFE), is given by
IC
 Its value varies from 50 to 300.
IB
Using KCL, from Fig. 2.9,
I E  IC  I B dividing both sides by IC
IE I
 1 B
IC IC
1 1
 1
 


 1

 
1
12 Bipolar Junction Transistors Power loss
Delay time Storage time
VCE Rise time Fall time

IC

90%
10% 10%
tr tf
(a) Model of BJT t0 t1 t3 t4 t5 t6

PLoss

Rise time and fall time are

important from
• the switching frequency and
• Loss point of view
13
Turn-ON snubber
D
DF L
L
+ R
V - R +
V
-
RL LL
RL Turn-OFF
DF snubber
DF

Turn-ON snubber Turn-OFF snubber

 The turn on snubber limits the rate of change of current in the
transistor while.
 The turn off snubber limits the rate of change of voltage across the
transistor.
14  The current gain of ordinary BJT is in the order of 10.
C
 Darlington connected BJTs are most commonly used. The
current gain depends on the number of transistors in the
Darlington. Two-transistor Darlington has current gain in the
order of 100 while three-transistor Darlington has current
gain in the order of 1000.

 Bipolar transistors switching frequency is in the order of

E
10kHz and its voltage and current rating can be as high as
1.5kV and 1kA.
 The switching current is important as the power required for control depends on its
value. Darlington BJTs have smaller base current requirements.
(Read RASHID and BIMBHRA)
 Power MOSFET
15
(Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor)

 Power semiconductor devices represent the ‘‘heart’’ of modern power

electronics, with two major desirable characteristics of power
semiconductor devices guiding their development:
 switching speed (turn-on and turn-off times); and
 power handling capabilities (voltage blocking and current carrying
Drain D
capabilities). +

 A power MOSFET has three terminals n+

n-
n+
n-
pp pp
drain, source, and gate. n+ n+ n+ n+
-
Source S
G
+
Gate G

(a) (b) S
(c)
16 The impedance of the gate to source is very high in the range 109 to
1011. Therefore; negligible current flows from gate to source that is why
power MOSFET is called voltage controlled device.

Fig.2.10 Power MOSFET, a) N-channel Power MOSFET chxs, b) Output chxs

17 Power MOSFETs switching frequencies are from hundreds of kilohertz
to megahertz range. The power MOSFET rating is up to 500V and 150A.
Power MOSFETs are finding increasing applications in low power and
high frequency applications.

Transient Equivalent Circuit

VDS
90% VSW(st)
Cgd
10% 90% D
10%
tD(ON)
tr tD(OFF)
tf Cds
VGS
G
90% Cgs
10%

tON=td(ON)+tr tOFF=td(Off)+tf
 Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT)
18
IGBTs are hybrids of the power MOSFET and BJT having the advantages
of the two.
They are voltage controlled as power MOSFET and have low conduction
loss as BJTs.
Collector C C
+

P+ P+
n+ n+
n- n-
pp pp
n+ n+ n+ n+
G
-
Emitter E

+
Gate G

(a) (b) (c) E

Fig. 2.11 IGBT, a) Structure, b)Conduction, c)Circuit symbol

19
 IGBTs have higher voltage (up to 3.5 kV) and current ratings (up to 2
kA).
As the result the voltage drop during ON state is low and the current
capacity is higher.

Switching frequency is in hundreds

of kilo Hertz
20

IGBTs are widely used in medium power applications such as AC

and DC motor drives, UPS systems, power supplies, relays and
contactors.
IGBT converters are more efficient with less size as well as cost
compared to BJT based converters.
Relatively have low gate-drive requirements, lower switching losses,
and lower snubber circuit requirements.
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Assignment 1
Article Review (the journal paper given)
4-6page, single column, 1.5 spacing, 12
times new roman.
Submission date: done
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Thanks for your Attention !