US 5,210,451 AGranted

Power semiconductor circuit

AssigneeAsea Brown Boveri AG

InventorsHorst Gruning, Herve de Lambilly, Ferdinand Steinruck

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Abstract

A power semiconductor circuit comprises a gate-turn-off semiconductor component (FCTh1, FCTh2) having an anode, a cathode and a gate, a diode (D1, D2) and a drive circuit which is connected to the gate by a large-area, low-inductance stripline (11) and which generates a current pulse for turning off the semiconductor component. The diode (D1, D2) is arranged in series with the semiconductor component (FCTh1, FCTh2), specifically in such a way that the diode (D1, D2) and semiconductor component (FCTh1, FCTh2) form a quarter-bridge arm. Provided in parallel with the series circuit of the semiconductor component (FCTh1, FCTh2) and diode (D1, D2) is a low-inductance blocking capacitor (C1, C2) for absorbing the reverse recovery voltage peaks of the diode (D1, D2). The diode (D1, D2) and blocking capacitor (C1, C2) are arranged with low inductance and spatially immediately adjacent to the semiconductor component.

Claims10

Dependent claims

A power semiconductor circuit adapted to be connected to a d.c. power supply voltage U.sub.DC, comprising:

a gate-turn-off semiconductor component including a gate-electrode, a cathode, and an anode, wherein the semiconductor component can be turned off by a current pulse at said gate-electrode;
a diode having a cathode and an anode connected in a series circuit with the semiconductor component, wherein in the series circuit either the anode of the diode is connected to the anode of the semiconductor component or the cathode of the diode is connected to the cathode of the semiconductor component;
the series circuit of the diode and the semiconductor component forming a quarter-bridge branch which is one half of a half-bridge, wherein the series circuit of the diode and the semiconductor component is connected via an inductor to the power supply voltage U.sub.DC ;
a low inductance blocking capacitor connected in parallel with the series circuit of the semiconductor component and the diode in order to absorb voltage peaks caused by a reverse recovery of the diode;
and
the diode and the blocking capacitor arranged immediately next to the semiconductor component such that the connection between the blocking capacitor and the series circuit of the diode and the semiconductor component is low in inductance.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.