An optimum drive and clamp circuit design with controlled switching for a snubberless PWM-VSI-IGBT inverter leg

A drive circuit for an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) with overcurrent protection and controlled switching has been optimized together with a normal passive clamp in an effort to achieve a robust and reliable snubberless inverter leg. Expressions for the design of the snubberless concept including drive circuit and clamp are given. Measurements show a good agreement with the design expressions. A short-circuit test at different operating temperatures is also performed as well as multiple short-circuits. It is concluded that the drive circuit and the nonactive clamp are a reliable and cheap solution for protecting the inverter leg.<>