Efficient IGBT switching

• US 8,963,377 B2
• Filed: 01/09/2012
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: EHT Ventures LLC
• Original Assignee: Eagle Harbor Technolologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Ziemba, Timothy, Miller, Kenneth E., Carscadden, John G., Prager, James
• Primary Examiner(s): KAPLAN, HAL IRA
• Application Number:
  US13/345,906
• Publication Number:
  US 20130175575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,142 Days
• Field of Search: 307/140, 327/365, 327/434
• US Class Current: 307/140
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 9/54 Circuit arrangements not adapted to a particular application of the switching device and for which no provision exists elsewhere
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/49844 for devices being provided for in H01L29/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/645 Inductive arrangements H01L23/647, H01L23/66 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/7393 Insulated gate bipolar mode transistors, i.e. IGBT; IGT; COMFET
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/0406 in composite switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/567 Circuits characterised by the use of more than one type of semiconductor device, e.g. BIMOS, composite devices such as IGBT
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/0036 Means reducing energy consumption

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide IGBT circuit modules with increased efficiencies. These efficiencies can be realized in a number of ways. In some embodiments, the gate resistance and/or voltage can be minimized. In some embodiments, the IGBT circuit module can be switched using an isolated receiver such as a fiber optic receiver. In some embodiments, a single driver can drive a single IGBT. And in some embodiments, a current bypass circuit can be included. Various other embodiments of the invention are disclosed.

Claims

1. An IGBT circuit module comprising:

a circuit board;

an IGBT coupled with the circuit board having a gate, a collector, and an emitter;

a driver coupled with the circuit board;

a plurality of traces, wherein a first trace of the plurality of traces electrically couples the gate and the driver; and

a fast capacitor coupled with the collector via an inductor of inductance less than 50 nH,

wherein the circuit module is configured to couple with a load between the emitter and the collector.

2. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the IGBT includes a manufacturer-specified current rise time, and wherein the voltage at the gate is brought to a full voltage in a time less than the manufacturer-specified current rise time.

3. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the IGBT includes a manufacturer-specified current fall time, and wherein the voltage at the gate is discharged in a time less than the manufacturer-specified current fall time.

4. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the IGBT includes a manufacturer-specified current rise time, and wherein the voltage between the collector and the emitter is brought to a minimum voltage in a time less than the manufacturer-specified current rise time.

5. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the IGBT circuit module includes an internal circuit module inductance that is greater than 50 nH.

6. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 5, wherein the internal circuit module inductance includes either or both an internal IGBT inductance and a stray circuit module inductance.

7. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the driver is coupled with a single IGBT.

8. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the IGBT has a manufacturer-specified switching loss, and the switching loss of the IGBT circuit module is less than the manufacturer-specified switching loss.

9. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the IGBT has a manufacturer-specified rise time, and the rise time of the IGBT circuit module is less than the manufacturer-specified rise time.

10. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the IGBT has a manufacturer-specified fall time, and the fall time of the IGBT circuit module is less than the manufacturer-specified fall time.

11. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the IGBT has a manufacturer specified turn-on delay time, and the turn-on delay time of the IGBT circuit module is less than the manufacturer specified turn-on delay time.

12. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the IGBT has a manufacturer specified turn-off delay time, and the turn-off delay time of the IGBT circuit module is less than the manufacturer specified turn-off delay time.

13. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the turn-off delay time is less than 100 ns.

14. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the turn-on delay time is less than 40 ns.

17. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the driver is coupled with a pre-driver.

18. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the first trace has a length less than 1 cm.

19. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the first trace has a length less than 100 mm.

20. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the first trace has a length less than 10 mm.

21. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the first trace has an inductance less than 100 nH.

22. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the first trace has an inductance less than 10 nH.

23. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the first trace directly couples the driver with the gate without an additional component.

24. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 1, wherein the first trace directly couples the driver with the gate without a resistor.

15. An IGBT circuit module comprising:

a circuit board;

an IGBT coupled with the circuit board having a gate, a collector, and an emitter;

a driver coupled with the circuit board;

a plurality of traces, wherein a first trace of the plurality of traces electrically couples the gate and the driver; and

a current bypass circuit between the collector and the emitter,

wherein the current bypass circuit includes an inductance less than 10 nH.

16. An IGBT circuit module comprising:

a circuit board;

an IGBT coupled with the circuit board having a gate, a collector, and an emitter;

a driver coupled with the circuit board and a fiber optic receiver; and

a plurality of traces, wherein a first trace of the plurality of traces electrically couples the gate and the driver, wherein the driver is coupled with a fiber optic receiver.

25. An IGBT circuit module comprising:

a circuit board;

an IGBT coupled with the circuit board having a gate, a collector, and an emitter;

a driver coupled with the circuit board;

a plurality of traces, wherein a first trace of the plurality of traces electrically couples the gate and the driver,

wherein the IGBT has an emitter inductance and a collector inductance, wherein the emitter inductance is greater than or equal to the collector inducance.

26. An IGBT circuit module comprising:

a circuit board;

an IGBT coupled with the circuit board having a gate, a collector, and an emitter;

a driver coupled with the circuit board;

a plurality of traces, wherein a first trace of the plurality of traces electrically couples the gate and the driver,

wherein the IGBT has an inductance that is greater than the inductance of the IGBT circuit module without the IGBT.

27. An IGBT circuit module comprising

a plurality of IGBTs, wherein each IGBT includes a gate, a collector, and an emitter;

a receiver;

a pre-driver coupled with the receiver; and

a plurality of gate drivers coupled with the pre-driver, and wherein each of the plurality of gate drivers is coupled with the gate of one of the plurality of IGBTs.

28. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 27, wherein the receiver comprises a fiber optic receiver.

29. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 27, wherein the receiver and pre-driver are disposed on a first circuit board and the plurality of gate drivers and the plurality of IGBTs are disposed on a second circuit board.

30. The IGBT circuit module according to claim 27, wherein a first subset of IGBTs is switched during one switching cycle and a second subset of IGBTs is switched during another switching cycle.