ElxC 222 (POWER ELECTRONICS)

Introduction to Power Electronics

- Power Electronics is a branch of electrical engineering that deals with the

conversion, control, and management of electrical power using semiconductor devices.

- The primary function of power electronics circuits is the processing and control of
electrical energy.
- the core technology in our electrical infrastructure

Thyristor (1950s)
BJT (1960s)
Power MOSFET (1980s)
GanFET (2010s)

Applications
- LED Driver (Efficient Lighting)
- Computers (Power Supply)
- Transportation (Inverter for prius)
- Microinverter (renewable energy)

Power Electronics Circuits

- Diode Rectifier Circuits

- DC-DC Converters (DC Choppers)
- DC-AC (Inverters)
- AC-DC Converters (Controlled Rectifiers)
- AC-AC Converters (AC Voltage Controller)
- Static Switches

1: Diode Rectifier
- Converts AC Voltage into a fixed DC Voltage

2: DC-DC Converters
- Also called a chopper/Switching regulator
- Transistor is turned on by applying a gate voltage.
3: DC-AC (Inverters)
- commonly used to power AC appliances from DC sources such as batteries, solar
panels, or fuel cells.
- MOSFET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor).

4: AC-DC Converters (Controlled Rectifiers)

- Thyristors (Silicon Controlled Rectifiers)
- use thyristor to obtain a controlled DC using AC supply

5: Static Switches

- We can use power semiconductor devices as switches, contractors etc..

- semiconductor components (such as thyristors, triacs, MOSFETs, or IGBTs)
to control the flow of electrical power without any moving parts.

example applications:
Uninterrupted Power Supply
Railway Signaling Systems
Solar Power Systems
Automatic Transfer Switch (ATS)
 Characteristics and Classification of Switches

Switches are fundamental components in power electronic systems, playing a

crucial role in controlling electrical power flow, converting energy, and managing
electrical circuits. They can be broadly categorized into mechanical switches and
electronic switches..

Mechanical Switches

- is a device that physically opens or closes an electrical circuit by means of mechanical

action, requires direct human or mechanical interaction to operate.

-categorized by their number of poles, throws and style

- A pole refers to the number of separate circuits the switch can control.

- A throw refers to the number of output connections a switch can make for each pole.

Examples of Mechanical Switches:

1. Toggle Switch – Used in household lights, power tools, etc.

2. Push-Button Switch – Found in doorbells and calculators.

3. Rotary Switch – Used in old TVs and industrial machines.

4. Reed Switch – Activated by a magnetic field.

5. Micro Switch – Common in safety applications and appliances.

Electronic Switches

- An electronic switch controls electrical flow using semiconductor components like

transistors, thyristors, and relays. Unlike mechanical switches, they do not require
physical contact to operate.

- The invention of the transistor (1947)

- MOSFETs and solid-state relays further advanced high-speed switching applications

Examples of Electronic Switches:

1. Transistor (BJT, MOSFET, IGBT) – Used in amplifiers and power electronics.

2. Solid-State Relay (SSR) – Functions like a relay but without moving parts.

3. Thyristor (SCR, TRIAC) – Common in AC power control applications.

4. Optoelectronic Switch (Phototransistor, Optocoupler) – Works with light-

based signals.

THYRISTOR
- a four-layer (PNPN) semiconductor device that acts as a switch, conducting current
only when triggered.

Types of Thyristors:

1. Silicon-Controlled Rectifier (SCR)

o Most common type of thyristor.

 o Acts as a switch, turning on when a gate pulse is applied and remaining on
until current drops to zero.

o Used in AC motor control, light dimmers, and rectifiers.

2. Triac (Triode for Alternating Current)

o A bidirectional thyristor that can conduct in

both directions.

o Used in AC power control (e.g., dimmers,

fan speed controllers).

3. Diac (Diode for Alternating Current)

o Similar to a Triac but without a gate terminal.

o Used to trigger Triacs in phase control

applications

4. Gate Turn-Off Thyristor (GTO)

o Unlike an SCR, it can be turned off using a

negative gate pulse.

o Used in high-power inverters and DC motor

drives.

5. Light-Activated Thyristor (LASCR)

o Turned on using light instead of a gate signal.

o Used in high-voltage DC transmission

(HVDC) systems.

6. Reverse Conducting Thyristor (RCT)

o Has an integrated diode to conduct reverse current.

o Used in induction heating and inverters.

What is it made of?

- Silicon, Gallium Arsenide, Aluminum, Copper, Silicon Diode, Ceramic/Epoxy.
TYPES OF SWITCHES based on classification:

1: Depending on control
a) Uncontrolled Switch (Diode)
b) Semicontrolled Switch (SCR)
c) Fully Controlled Switch (MOSFET,IGBT,BJT)

2: depending on direct of current through Switch during ON-STATE

a) Unidirectional Switch (SCR)

b) Bidirectionnal Switch (DIAC)

3: Depending on polarity of voltage blocked by switch during OFF-State

a) Unipolar Switch (Diode) blocks only negative voltage

b) Bipolar Switch (SCR) blocks both forward and reverse Bias

- ON-State Characteristics

a) Ability to carry high Forward current is tending to infinity.

-Forward current (the current flowing during a normal operation)

Forward Voltage drop

 b) A low ON state Forward Voltage Drop; Von (voltage on the switch)
should be tending to 0.
VSW=Von-0.

C) A low ON state resistance Ron (On state resistance), should be tending

to 0.

- a low Ron leads to low ON State Power Loss (Pon)

- OFF-State Characteristics

a) Ability to withstand high forward voltage or reverse voltage

b) A low OFF state leakage current should be 0

c) a high OFF State resistance tending to be infinite

- OFF state power loss is low due to OFF State Resistance

POWER DIODES

- Increased Power handling capacity

- Power Semiconductor diodes are used to perform various operation such as rectifier,
freewheeling, energy feedback etc.

- Switching speed is low compared to low power diodes

TYPES OF POWER DIODES:

1: General purpose PN Junction Diode

- used in low frequency applications, due to high reverse recovery time.

- at low operating frequency this is capable of handling from very low to high voltage
rating from 50V- 5KV.

Examples:

1N5408 (1kv,3A)
1N4007 (1kv,1A)
6A10 (1KV,6A)
BY255 (1.3KV,3A)
BY127 (1.2kv,1A)

2: Fast Recovery Diode

- short reverse recovery time compared to general purpose diode

- turned off more quickly
- used in high frequency applications such as diode converter and DC-AC converter.
used in high-frequency rectification, switching power supplies, and motor
control circuits where fast switching is required.

Examples:

UF4007 (1kv,1A)
HER108 (1kv,1A)
FR107 (1kv,1A)
MUR160 (600V,1A)
MUR820 (200V,8A)

3: Schottky Diodes

- A Schottky diode is a special type of semiconductor diode has rectifying

characteristics.
- low forward voltage drop and fast switching speed.
- Unlike regular PN junction diodes, it is made using a metal-semiconductor junction
instead of a PN junction.

- kinda similar to PN junction diode but the ON-State Voltage Drop is very low (0.5V-
0.4V).

- large reverse leakage current and lower breakdown voltage (50V-100V)

-Schottky Diodes are ideal for high current, low voltage applications like DC power
Supply.

Structure of Power Diode

Anode High dope p type

Junction 10 mm
p+ (10^19 mm^3)
wd [based on requirement Volt
n- (10^14 mm^3) on breakdown in reverse bias]
Drift Layer

n+ (10^19 mm^3
250-300mm

Cathode

- Vertically Oriented Structure of a Power Diode. Preferred in all forward current,

therefore reduces the forward resistance and on state Power dissipation

n minus layer, Drift Layer

- increase voltage handling capacity of diode
- controls breakdown voltage (minimum voltage required to “break” an insulator by
forcing current through it).
- Thicker wd (drift layer) for higher voltage handling

- The Larger the cross-section area the larger current handling capacity

Characteristics:

- ON-State voltage drop is higher

- Voltage resistance is more
- If Breakdown happens during reverse Bias High Current flows

Applications:

- rectification
- Freewheeling
- Energy Feedback
- Ac-Dc Converter
- DC-DC Converter
- DC-AC Inverter
- Power Supply

Power Transistor

-emerged in the late 1950s as an advancement over small-signal transistors,

- a type of semiconductor device designed to handle high current and voltage levels. It
functions as a switch or amplifier in power electronics circuits.