ENT4223

POWER ELECTRONIC AND

APPLICATIONS
INTRODUCTION
Eng. (Ms.) H. C. Ganege
D e p a r t m e n t o f E n g i n e e r i n g Te c h n o l o g y
F a c u l t y o f Te c h n o l o g y
University of Ruhuna

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From last session …
✓Course Introduction
✓Power electronics and applications
✓Basic types
✓Importance of power electronics
✓History of electronics
✓Basic Introduction - Semi-conductors

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Basic Introduction
Semi-conductors, P-N
Junctions

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Materials used in electronics

Semiconductor materials
Any of a class of crystalline solids intermediate in
electrical conductivity between a conductor and an
insulator.
–Britannica–
• Boron (B) • Arsenic (As)
• Silicon (Si) • Indium (In)
• Germanium (Ge)
• Gallium
Solid state electronics arises from the unique properties of silicon and germanium, each of which has four
valence electrons and which form crystal lattices in which substituted atoms (dopants) can dramatically change
the electrical properties.

 Pure Silicon has few free electrons and is quite resistive

 Silicon is normally doped with other elements to increase its conductivity

Silicon is by far the more widely used semiconductor for electronics, partly because it can be used at much higher
temperatures than germanium.
1. N Type Semiconductors
Dopants, like phosphor (P), arsenic (As), and Antimony (Sb) easily give up one of
their electrons to the impure Silicon

These donated electrons are free to move about the Silicon, and its conductivity
increases dramatically

N-type dopant has 5 valance electron

Definitions
• Dopant: Any impurity deliberately added to a semiconductor for the
purpose of modifying its electrical conductivity
• Valance Electrons: Electrons of an atom that can participate in the
formation of chemical bonds with other atoms
2. P Type Semiconductors
 Dopants, like Boron(B), Indium (In), and Aluminium (Al) grab electrons from the
surrounding silicon atoms, leaving positively charged silicon ions behind
 Positive silicon ions try to lessen their charge by grabbing electrons from their
neighbours
 P-type dopant has 3 valance electron
3. PN Junction
• A P-N junction is an interface or a boundary between two semiconductor material
types, namely the p-type and the n-type, inside a semiconductor.
Power Semiconductor Switches
Presently available power semiconductor devices can be classified into three
groups according to their degree of controllability:
◦ Diodes – on and off states controlled by the power circuit
◦ Thyristors – latched on by a control signal but must be turned off by the power circuit
◦ Controllable switches – Turned on and off by control signals. (bipolar junction transistor (BJT),
metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET), gate turn-off thyristor (GTO) and
insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) )

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 PN Diode
• Diodes are made from semiconducting materials
(crystalline silicon) with added impurities (P and N
type)
• PN Junction is the boundary within the crystal
between P region and N region
• The crystal conducts a current of electrons in a
direction from the N-type side (called the cathode)
to the P-type side (called the anode), but not in the
opposite direction; that is, a conventional current
flows from anode to cathode (opposite to the
electron flow, since electrons have negative charge).
Biasing Conditions for the P-N Junction
Diode
There are three biasing conditions for the P-N junction diode, and this is based on
the voltage applied:
• Zero bias: No external voltage is applied to the P-N junction diode.

• Forward bias: The positive terminal of the voltage potential is connected to the p-type
while the negative terminal is connected to the n-type.

• Reverse bias: The negative terminal of the voltage potential is connected to the p-type
and the positive is connected to the n-type.

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I-V
Characteristics

I-V Characteristics
I-V Characteristics Idealized Characteristics
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Various types of diodes
Depending on the application requirements, various types of diodes are available:
Schottky diodes - These diodes are used where a low forward voltage drop (typically 0.3 V) is
needed in very low output voltage circuits. These diodes are limited in their blocking voltage
capabilities to 50-100 V.
Fast-recovery diodes - These are designed to be used in high-frequency circuits in combination
with controllable switches where a small reverse-recovery time is needed . At power levels of
several hundred volts and several hundred amperes, such diodes have reverse-recovery time
ratings of less than a few microseconds.
Line-frequency diodes - The on-state voltage of these diodes is designed to be as low as possible
and as a consequence have larger reverse-recovery time which are acceptable for line-
frequency applications. These diodes are available with blocking voltage ratings of several
kilovolts and current ratings of several kiloamperes. Moreover, they can be connected in series
and parallel to satisfy any voltage and current requirement.

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 4. Thyristors
• Very similar to the diode action
• Main differences are,
• A diode conducts as soon as it becomes forward biased
• But a thyristor only “gets ready” to conduct as soon as it becomes forward biased. This is
known as “Forward blocking”
• It will only conduct after receiving a narrow current pulse at the Gate. (The current pulse is
known as 𝐼𝑔 )
• 𝐼𝑔 is just a trigger pulse about 50𝜇𝑠 width and about 0.5 A hight
• Once the device begins to conduct, it is latched on and the gate current can be removed
• Thyristor can not be turned off by the gate, and the thyristor conducts as a diode
• Thyristor stops conduction after its current comes to zero, which provides a reverse biased
and it is maintained there after.
 Thyristors
Unlike the junction diode which is a two layer ( P-N ) semiconductor device, or the commonly used bipolar
transistor which is a three layer ( P-N-P, or N-P-N ) switching device, the Thyristor is a four layer ( P-N-P-N )
semiconductor device that contains three PN junctions in series.

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I-V Characteristics Curves

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 Thyristor stops conduction after its current comes to 0 provide a reverse biased which is
maintained for a period not less than the “Turn-off time” (𝑡𝑄 )
 𝑡𝑄 is a principal parameter of a thyristor. Considering 𝑡𝑄 value, there are two types of
thyristors
 Inverter grade thyristors – Have a smaller 𝑡𝑄 (below 10μs). They are relatively expensive
 Converter grade thyristors – or also known as slow thyristors. They have a higher 𝑡𝑄
(above 50μs). They are lower in cost. Normally we use this type of thyristors for 50/60 Hz
AC-DC conversion

Forward blocking Reverse blocking

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Bipolar Junction Transistor (BJT)
• Consist of two PN junctions.
• There are two types
1) PNP Transistor 2) NPN Transistor
Transistor Operating Regions
 Transistor Operating Regions
• There are three operating regions
1. Cut off - the transistor is “Fully-OFF” operating as a
switch and Ic = 0
Both BE and BC junctions are reverse biased
2. Saturation - the transistor is “Fully-ON” operating as
a switch and Ic = I
Both BE and BC junctions are forward biased
3. Active - the transistor operates as an amplifier and
Ic = β*Ib
BE is forward biased and BC is reverse biased
BC is forward biased and BE is reverse biased
Field Effect Transistor (FET)
• Type of transistors which being operated by the electric
field applied across the junction of the device.
• Flow of current is controlled by that electric field
• Also known as “Unipolar Transistors” . Because, they
involve single-carrier-type operation. That is, FETs use
either electrons or holes as charge carriers in their
operation, but not both.
• There are mainly two types,
1. Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET)
2. Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET)
 Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET)

The Junction Field Effect Transistor (JUGFET or

JFET) has no PN-junctions but instead has a
narrow piece of high resistivity semiconductor
material forming a “Channel” of either N-type
or P-type silicon for the majority carriers to flow
through with two ohmic electrical connections
at either end commonly called the Drain and
the Source respectively

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 Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect
Transistor - MOSFET
MOSFET is a voltage-controlled field effect
transistor that differs from a JFET in that it has a
“Metal Oxide” Gate electrode which is electrically
insulated from the main semiconductor n-channel
or p-channel by a very thin layer of insulating
material usually silicon dioxide, commonly known
as glass.

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 A MOSFET can function in two ways
 Depletion Mode - When there is no voltage across
the gate terminal, the channel shows its maximum
conductance. Whereas when the voltage across
the gate terminal is either positive or negative,
then the channel conductivity decreases. (the
transistor requires the Gate-Source voltage, ( VGS )
to switch the device “OFF”. The depletion mode
MOSFET is equivalent to a “Normally Closed”
switch.)
 Enhancement Mode - When there is no voltage
across the gate terminal, then the device does not
conduct. When there is the maximum voltage
across the gate terminal, then the device shows
enhanced conductivity. (the transistor requires a
Gate-Source voltage, ( VGS ) to switch the device
“ON”. The enhancement mode MOSFET is
equivalent to a “Normally Open” switch.)
Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor -
MOSFET
 The MOSFET is a capacitor operated transistor device
 Construction wise we can categories the device into
four types.
 P – Channel Enhancement MOSFET
 N – Channel Enhancement MOSFET
 P – Channel Depletion MOSFET
 N – Channel Depletion MOSFET
 The ability to change conductivity with the amount of
applied voltage can be used for amplifying or switching
electronic signals
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IGBT - Insulated Gate Bipolar
Transistor

• Both of the BJT and FET devices possessed some advantages and simultaneously
some disadvantages
• So, the IGBT was introduced in around the early 1980s as a combination of BJT
and the FET
The IGBT Transistor takes the best parts of these two types of common transistors, the
high input impedance and high switching speeds of a MOSFET with the low saturation
voltage of a bipolar transistor, and combines them together to produce another type of
transistor switching device that is capable of handling large collector-emitter currents
with virtually zero gate current drive.
The Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor, (IGBT) combines the insulated gate (hence the first part of
its name) technology of the MOSFET with the output performance characteristics of a
conventional bipolar transistor, (hence the second part of its name).
The result of this hybrid combination is that the “IGBT Transistor” has the output switching and
conduction characteristics of a bipolar transistor but is voltage-controlled like a MOSFET.

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 Linear Electronics Vs. Power Electronics
Linear Electronics Power Electronics
• Linear electronics is the branch of • Operates in Cut off and Saturation
electronics in which we operate the regions
devices in their active mode of • Operates as a switch
operation. • The switching devices which are the
• There is a relationship between current core of the power electronics actually
and the voltage with some gain value. use high speed switching transistors like
• This region is used in amplifiers circuits MOSFETs and IGBTs which are also
where we want to vary the current from capable of sustaining voltages up to
collector to the emitter according to our 1200 V and high currents
need.
Power Electronics

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Power Electronics
The primary element in a power electronic system is a switching power converter.
The power converter consists of power semiconductor devices that are turned on and off at high
frequencies.
This operation switches the voltage and current through the devices, delivering a controlled
power at the output. In addition to this, the power drawn from the input can also be controlled.
An ideal device switches the voltage and current instantaneously and offers zero resistance once
turned on and infinite resistance when turned off.
But in the real world, no device can be switched instantaneously. The switching converters are
associated with two types of power losses in the devices:
◦ Switching Losses
◦ Conduction Losses

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 Losses
Switching Losses
The switching losses occur during turn on and off.
For instance, when a switch turns on, the voltage across the switch goes to a low value from the
voltage that was being blocked when it was in the off state.
At the same time, the current through the device goes from zero to the load current level. Since this
process takes finite time and the voltage and current are transitioning, power loss takes place.
The transition is reversed when the switch is turning off. These losses constitute the switching
losses. The switching losses increase with the switching frequency.
To minimize these losses, several methods, such as zero voltage switching and zero current
switching, are implemented using additional capacitors and inductors.
Conduction Losses
Conduction losses are a result of the finite on-state voltage drop across the switches during
conduction. Availability of newer semiconductor devices and advancements in device structures are
helping to reduce the conduction losses.

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 Types of Power Electronic Circuits
Power electronic circuits control the input and output power.
There are several types of power converters based on the type of application.
When we consider the power source, there are two main types of power sources, namely alternating
current (AC) and direct current (DC).

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 Power electronics converters
AC-to-DC Converters
The input AC voltage is converted to DC voltage at required levels.
A diode bridge rectifier is traditionally used for these applications.
But this configuration results in currents that have high peak values and high harmonic content.
Boost converters are commonly used to draw currents that are in phase with the AC voltage.
DC-to-DC Converters
The DC power input, whether unregulated or regulated, is converted to regulated DC power at the output.
Without power electronic converters, it is very difficult to generate variable DC power.
With the availability of different configurations of DC-to-DC converters, DC power at desired levels has become
indispensable.
Buck, boost, and buck-boost converters are three basic converters that can step down, step up, and provide both
levels, respectively.

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 Power electronics converters
DC-to-AC Converters (commonly known as inverters)
The input DC power from batteries is inverted to provide AC power.
This AC power is used to control AC motors with precision and efficiency.
A combination of AC-to-DC and DC-to-AC converters are used in high-power transmission where two different
grids are connected without worrying about synchronization.
AC-to-AC Converters (commonly known as cycloconverters)
The AC input that has a variable magnitude and frequency is processed to provide an AC output that has both
regulated magnitude and frequency.
Wind power generation is a popular application of these types of converters.
The output of the wind generator varies in both magnitude and frequency depending on the wind speed.
To connect this power to the grid or a load, the voltage and frequency need regulation.
This functionality is provided by the AC-to-AC converters.

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 Other classifications of power converters
Based on the isolation between input and output:
◦ Non-isolated Converters
◦ Isolated Converters

Based on the type of switching:

◦ Hard-switched Converters
◦ Soft-switched Converters

Based on the connection to the power grid:

◦ Grid-connected Converters
◦ Offline Converters

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Thank you …

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