An insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is a three-terminal power semiconductor device primarily used as an electronic switch which, as it was developed, came to combine high efficiency and fast switching. It switches electric power in many modern appliances: variable-frequency drives (VFDs), electric cars, trains, variable speed refrigerators, lamp ballasts, air-conditioners and even stereo systems with switching amplifiers. Since it is designed to turn on and off rapidly, amplifiers that use it often synthesize complex waveforms with pulse-width modulation and low-pass filters. In switching applications modern devices feature pulse repetition rates well into the ultrasonic range—frequencies which are at least ten times the highest audio frequency handled by the device when used as an analog audio amplifier.
The IGBT combines the simple gate-drive characteristics of MOSFETs with the high-current and low-saturation-voltage capability of bipolar transistors. The IGBT combines an isolated-gate FET for the control input and a bipolar power transistor as a switch in a single device. The IGBT is used in medium- to high-power applications like switched-mode power supplies, traction motor control and induction heating. Large IGBT modules typically consist of many devices in parallel and can have very high current-handling capabilities in the order of hundreds of amperes with blocking voltages of 6000 V. These IGBTs can control loads of hundreds of kilowatts.
A bipolar junction transistor (bipolar transistor or BJT) is a type of transistor that uses both electron and hole charge carriers. In contrast, unipolar transistors, such as field-effect transistors, only use one kind of charge carrier. For their operation, BJTs use two junctions between two semiconductor types, n-type and p-type.
BJTs are manufactured in two types, NPN and PNP, and are available as individual components, or fabricated in integrated circuits, often in large numbers. The basic function of a BJT is to amplify current. This allows BJTs to be used as amplifiers or switches, giving them wide applicability in electronic equipment, including computers, televisions, mobile phones, audio amplifiers, industrial control, and radio transmitters.
Note on current direction
By convention the direction of current on diagrams is shown as the direction that a positive charge would move. This is called conventional current. However, current in metal conductors is due to the flow of electrons which, because they carry a negative charge, move in the opposite direction to conventional current. On the other hand, inside a bipolar transistor, currents can be composed of both positively charged holes and negatively charged electrons. In this article, current arrows are shown in the conventional direction, but labels for the movement of holes and electrons show their actual direction inside the transistor.
Understanding... Each type has its specific use cases, advantages, and limitations ... MMAWelder ... The use of Insulated GateBipolarTransistor (IGBT) inverter technology in portable welders allows for high-efficiency operation and superior performance ... ....
The project had experienced up to 130 failures related to insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) ... linked to insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) within field-replaceable units (FRUs).
... in power electronics, such as Mitsubishi's trench-gate technology for IGBT (Insulated GateBipolarTransistor) modules, are driving progress in energy-efficient applications like electric vehicles.
BantvalJayant Baliga, an engineer at North Carolina State University, received the prize in 2024 for inventing the insulated-gate bipolar transistor, a semiconductor device that is used widely in ...
... alternatives for STMicroelectronics and onsemi IGBT Transistors ... BEC’s Insulated GateBipolar Transistors (IGBTs) provide maximum reliability combined with high-voltage, high-current characteristics.
Professor Baliga’s work on the invention, development and commercialization of insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), has played a critical role in energy efficiency for technologies worldwide.
BEC’s Insulated GateBipolar Transistors (IGBTs) provide maximum reliability combined with high-voltage, high-current characteristics ... The Transistors are designed to drive high-power applications with ...
The company explained that a utility-scale inverter powered by an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) switches between 1 kHz and 3 kHz, which requires the actual gate drive to contain up to 1 MHz ...
Since its development in the 1980s, the IGBT - a power semiconductor device that combines a bipolar power transistor with a MOS structure and an insulated gate terminal - has made electrical energy ...
As an electrical engineer at the time, the now 76-year-old Baliga had developed the beginnings of what's known as an insulated-gate bipolar transistor, or IGBT.
HELSINKI, Sept ... dollars) prize for the professor's groundbreaking semiconductor technology ... Baliga's work in the invention, development, and commercialization of the Insulated GateBipolarTransistor (IGBT) earned him this accolade ... Enditem .
Bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) and field-effect transistors (FETs) are the two primary types ...MOSFETs and IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) are particularly suited for high-power applications like electric motors and power supplies.
In PV inverters, TIMs are applied or installed between the insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) and printed circuit board (PCB) ... In fact, they provide thermal insulation to prevent heat transfer to adjacent cells during an event ... Cody A.
Introduction to ... Types of Solar Inverters ... Solar inverters convert the DC electricity generated by solar panels into AC electricity through a process involving semiconductor switching devices such as insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) ... Email.
