Large reverse biased safe operating area for a low loss HiGT

A high conductivity IGBT (HiGT) with a reverse biased safe operating area (RBSOA) as large as that of a conventional IGBT has been presented. The fabricated HiGT has a rated current of 50 A and a blocking capability of 3.3 kV. Optimizing the concentration of impurities in the hole carrier layer enabled the HiGT to turn off a current twice the rated current by applying 2200 V, which is the maximum voltage of the 1500 V line. This large RBSOA was maintained while achieving a short circuit capability and a better trade-off relation between the collect-emitter saturation voltage (V/sub CE(sat)/) and the turn-off loss. The V/sub CE(sat)/ of this optimized HiGT was 1.3 V lower than that of a conventional IGBT. The turn-off loss, short circuit capability, and static and dynamic avalanche voltages were equivalent to those of a conventional IGBT.