The IGBT test set-up design

Abstract

An experimental half bridge converter setup is designed in order to explore the switching characteristics and losses of a new type of IGBT module. A specific digital control circuit and a drive circuit for an IGBT are designed and integrated into one PCB which can provide different kinds of precise IGBT gate signals. The switching characteristics and losses are investigated under different parameters both in a hardware and a simulation. It can be observed that the switching losses are increasing with the increase of voltage and current levels. Increasing the gate resistance also tends to increase the IGBT switching losses, while the reverse recovery losses of the free-wheeling diode decrease. The switching characteristics of the IGBT are not affected by temperature, but the reverse recovery losses increase with the temperature. The stray inductance has a negative effect, since it causes the oscillation both in the voltage and current waveforms.