Fabrication and Implementation of Generalized Triggering Circuit for IGBT based Converter

Abstract

Development of power electronics devices are increases in recent time. Wide band gap semiconductors (WBG) have the potential to operate at high temperatures, frequencies and voltages. WBG devices like SiC (silicon carbide) make power electronic converters are more efficient and capable of catering higher energy density resulting into compact size. In any power electronic converter, Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) is widely used device on accounts of its high power handling capacity. Protections of these devices must be highly sophisticated enough for protection with consideration of economical cost. The said sophisticated driver must be capable of providing protections like Vce(sat), dv/dt, di/dt, soft turn off, Under Voltage Lock Out protection (UVLO). Protection features of a driver card increases the cost of the driver card considerably. The main challenge in gate driver card while designing is to obtain maximum protection feature with keeping cost minimum. This project proposes a generalized IGBT driver card design which is compatible to any IGBT based converter providing maximum protection feature for the devices. This project also deals with design, fabrication and implementation of the driver circuit with all the protection enabled on driver card for the implementation of three phase IGBT based inverter as well as one leg of NPC five level inverter.