Power Electronics

Power Transistors –
MOSFETs
1

Power electronics

 dr inż. Andrzej Smolarz

 Instytut Elektroniki i Technik Informacyjnych

 Politechnika Lubelska
 a.smolarz@pollub.pl
 smolarz.pollub.pl
 E313, 081 538 4337

1
Sources
 M. D. Singh, Power Electronics‎, 2008
 http://books.google.pl/books?id=0_D6gfUHjcEC

 J.S.Chitode, Power Electronics‎, 2008

 http://books.google.pl/books?id=VMC5AYf1YFwC

 NPTEL Project (India)

 http://nptel.ac.in/downloads/108105066

 Some students’‎presentations were also used

Power transistors
 Bipolar junction transistors(BJT)
 Metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect
transistors (MOSFET)
 Static Induction transistors (SIT)
 Insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBT)

2
Power MOSFET
Power MOSFETs (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors)
are electronic components that allow us to control very high currents.
Just as common MOSFETs, they have three output terminals: Drain,
Source and Gate ( D, S and G). The main current flows through the
Source and the Drain (ISD) , while the control of this current is obtained
by applying a tension in the Gate terminal (with respect to the Source
terminal), known as VGS.

Types of power MOSFETs

There are 2 types of Power MOSFETs:
N channel and P channel MOSFETs.
The difference among them is the
polarity Source-Drain and the tension
in the Gate of P MOSFETs is negative.

The N-channel, Enhancement-mode MOSFET operates using a

positive input voltage and has an extremely high input resistance
(almost infinite) making it possible to interface with nearly any logic
gate or driver capable of producing a positive output. Also, due to this
very high input (Gate) resistance we can parallel together many
different MOSFETs until we achieve the current handling limit required.
While connecting together various MOSFETs in parallel may enable us
to switch high currents or high voltage loads, doing so becomes
expensive and impractical. To overcome this problem Power Field
Effect Transistors or Power‎FET’s were developed.
6

3
Types of power MOSFETs

Power MOSFET
 The Conventional planar MOSFET has the restriction of handling
the high power. In high power applications, the Double-diffused
vertical MOSFET or VMOS is used which is simply known as
Power MOSFET.
 The MOSFET is a majority carrier device, and as the majority
carriers have no recombination delays, the MOSFET achieves
extremely high. bandwidths and switching times.
 The gate is electrically isolated from the source, and while this
provides the MOSFET with its high input impedance, it also
forms a good capacitor.
 MOSFETs do not have secondary breakdown area, their drain to
source resistance has a positive temperature coefficient, so they
tend to be self protective.
 It has very low ON resistance and no junction voltage drop when
forward biased. These features make MOSFET an extremely
attractive power supply switching device.

4
power MOSFET construction

Structure of a power MOSFET

using VDMOS technology

Arrangement of parallel
connections of MOSFET cells

POWER MOSFET - Structure

 The Power MOSFET has a vertically oriented four layer
structure of alternating P and N type (n+pn-n+) layers.
 The P type middle layer is called as body of MOSFET. In
this region , the channel is formed between source and
drain.
 The n- layer is called as drift region, which determines
the breakdown voltage of the device. This n- region is
present only in Power MOSFETs not in signal level
MOSFET.
 The gate terminal is isolated from body by silicon dioxide
layer.
 When the positive gate voltage is applied with respect to
source, the n-type channel is formed between source to
drain.

10

5
POWER MOSFET - Structure
 There is a parasitic npn BJT between source and drain.
 To avoid this BJT turns on, the p-type body region is shorted to
source region by overlapping the source metallization on to the p
type body.
 The result is a parasitic diode which is formed between drain to
source terminals. This integral diode plays an important role in
half and full bridge converter circuits.

11

POWER MOSFET - Characteristics

The VI characteristics of n-channel enhancement mode MOSFET

12

6
 POWER MOSFET
As we have seen Power MOSFETs work just as normal MOSFETs, the
special thing about them is the high voltage and currents they can work
with and the high potency they can dissipate.

Main features of Power MOSFETs:

1 -Maximum Drain Source Voltage.

2 -Maximum Drain Current.
3 - Conduction Resistance
4 - Maximum threshold and gate voltages.
5 - Switching Speed.

13

Safe Operation Region

14

7
Main features of Power MOSFETs:
 Maximum Drain Source Voltage.
 Maximum Drain Current.
 Conduction Resistance
 Maximum threshold and gate voltages.
 Switching Speed

15

MOSFET ratings
 drain-source break down voltage (VDSS)
 Exceeding this limit will destroy the device due to avalanche break
down of the body-drain p-n junction.

 maximum drain current (IDM)

 Should not be exceeded even under pulsed current operating
condition in order to avoid permanent damage to the bonding wires

 maximum power dissipation (PM)

 They indicate the maximum allowable value of the vDS, iD product
for the pulse durations shown against each limit.
 Exceeding these limits will cause the junction temperature to rise
beyond the acceptable limit.
All safe operating area limits are specified at a given case temperature

16

8
Dynamic performance ratings
 Gate threshold voltage (VGS (th))
 The MOSFET remains in the cut off region when vGS in below this
voltage. VGS (th) decreases with junction temperature.

 Drain Source on state resistance (rDS (ON))

 the slope of the iD – vDS characteristics in the ohmic region. Its value
decreases with increasing vGS and increases with junction
temperature, it determines the ON state power loss in the device.

 Forward Transconductance (gfs)

 It is the ratio of iD and (vGS – vGS(th)). In a MOSFET switching circuit
it determines the clamping voltage level of the gate – source
voltage and thus influences dvDS/dt during turn on and turn off.

17

Dynamic performance ratings

 Gate-Source breakdown voltage
 Exceeding this limit will destroy the gate structure of the MOSFET
due to dielectric break down of the gate oxide layer. It should be
noted that this limit may by exceeded even by static charge
deposition. Therefore, special precaution should be taken while
handing MOSFETs.

 Input, output and reverse transfer

capacitances (CGS, CDS & CGD)
 Value of these capacitances are specified at a given drain-source
and gate-source voltage. They are useful for designing the gate
drive circuit of a MOSFET.

18

9
MOSFET body diode ratings
 Reverse break down voltage
 This is same as VDSS
 Continuous ON state current (IS)
 RMS value of the continuous diode current
 Pulsed ON state current (ISM)
 maximum allowable RMS value of the ON state current
through the diode given as a function of the pulse duration
 Forward voltage drop (vF)
 Given as an instantaneous function of the diode forward current
 Reverse recovery time (trr),
Reverse recovery current (Irr)
 specified as functions of the diode forward current just before
reverse recovery and its decreasing slope (diF/dt).

19

Conduction Resistance
 It is one of the most important parameters in a MOSFET. The smaller it is, the
better the device
 It is represented as RDS(on)
 For a particular device, it grows with temperature.
 For a particular device, it decreases with the gate voltage. This decrease is
limited.
 Comparing different devices with similar ID values, RDS(on) grows with the value
of VDSS.

Drain-source On Resistance, RDS(on) (Ohms)

20

10
Switching Speed.
• Power MOSFETs are faster than other devices used in power electronics
(thyristors, bipolar transistors, IGBT, etc.).
•Power MOSFETs are unipolar conduction devices. The amount of current
conducted is not associated with increased concentration of minority carriers,
which are then difficult to remove so the device will stop conducting.
•The limitation in speed is associated with the charge of the parasitic
capacitances of the device.
•There are 3 main ones:
- Cgs, linear capacity.
- Cds, transition capacity Cds k/(VDS)1/2
- Cdg, Miller capacity, nonlinear, very important.

21

Switching Speed.
•Power MOSFET manufacturers provide information on 3 capacitances
different but related to the prior ones.

- Ciss = Cgs + Cgd con Vds=0 (» input capacitance)

- Crss = Cdg (Miller’s capacitance)
- Coss = Cds + Cdg (» output capacitance)

22

11
Switching Speed.
•Examples of data provided by manufacturers

Ciss = Cgs +
Cgd
Crss = Cdg
Coss = Cds +
Cdg

23

Switching Speed.
•The charge and discharge of the parasitic capacitances generate loses
that condition the maximum frequency of switching of Power MOSFETs.

Charge and discharge of a capacitor from a resistor

• During charge of C:
- Energy lost in R = 0,5CV12
V1 R - Energy stored in C = 0,5CV12

C
• During the discharge of C:
- Energy lost in R = 0,5CV12

• Total energy lost: CV12 = V1QCV1

These parasitic capacitances delay the voltage variations, resulting in

many circuits coexistence between voltage and current, implying
losses in the switching process.
24

12
Switching Speed.
Analysis of a typical switching power conversion:

- With inductive load

- Locking with diode
- Assuming ideal diode

25

Switching
Baseline:
Speed.
- Transistor not driving (in lock) and diode in conduction
- Therefore:
 vDG = V2, vDS = V2 y vGS = 0
 iDT = 0 and iD = IL

- In this situation, the switch goes from “B”

to“A”

26

13
Switching Speed.
• iDT = 0 untill vGS = VGS(TO)
• vDS = V2 untill iDT = IL

Slope determined by R, Cgs and by Cdg(V2)

27

Switching Speed.
The current that V1 creates through R is
mainly used to discharge Cdg 
virtually no current flows through Cgs 
vGS = Cte

28

14
Switching Speed.
• Cgs y Cdg are continued

Time constant determined by R, Cgs

and by Cdg(V1)

29

Switching Speed.
•Rating losses between t0 and t2:
- Cgs (large) must be charged and
Cdg (small) must be discharged VM
volts
- There is coexistence of current and
voltage between t1 and t2

30

15
Switching Speed. • Rating losses between t and t : 2 3

- We must discharge Cds to 0 and

we must invert the load of Cdg from
V2-VM to -VM
- There is coexistence of voltage
and current between t2 y t3

31

Switching Speed.• Rating losses from t : 3

- We must finish loading Cgs y Cdg

up to V1
- There isn’t coexistence of
voltage and current except the
coexistence in conduction losses.

32

16
 Switching Speed.
Rating the speed of a device by the "gate charge":
 The current created by the V1 source is approx.
constant between t0 and t3 (start of an exponential
with IV1 V1/R)
 From t0 to t2, the IV1 current charge has essentially
loaded Cgs. It has provided an electrical charge Qgs
 From t2 to t3, the current Iv1 has reversed the charge
of Cdg. It has provided an electrical charge Qgs .
 Until VGS = V1 there is still charge being supplied. Qg
is the total value (including Qgs and Qdg)
 For a given system of government (V1 and R), the
smaller Qgs, Qdg and Qg faster the transistor .
 Obviously t2-t0  QgsR/V1, t3-t2  QdgR/V1 and PV1 =
V1QgfS, with the switching frequency fS.

33

Switching Speed.
Rating‎of‎the‎speed‎of‎a‎device‎‎by‎the‎“gate‎charge”.‎Data‎provided‎by‎manufacturers
IRF 540

BUZ80 MOSFET de 1984

MOSFET from the 2000s

34

17
Switching Speed.
•Other information provided by the manufacturers: switching resistive load

td on : turn on delay
tr : rise time
td off : turn off delay
tf : fall time
35

Losses in a Power MOSFET

vGS
Losses from
coexistence of current
and voltage between the
Source and the Drain.
vDS

Pcond = RDS(on)iDT(rms)2
iDT
Pswit = fS(won + woff)

PVI Won Switching losses

Conduction
losses Woff
36

18
Losses in a Power MOSFET
iV1
• Losses in government Source

vGS V1 R

Theoretical circuit
iV1 Qdg
Qgs
iV1

t0 t2 t3 V1
Qg
RB
PV1 = V1QgfS
Real circuit
37

THE END
… and they lived hapily ever after

Thank you for your attention

Dziękuję‎za‎uwagę
Gracias por su atención
Спасибо‎за‎ваше‎внимание

38

19