RC‑IGBT snapback suppression using silicon germanium collector regions

In this study, two new structures are proposed for reverse-conducting insulated gate bipolar transistors (RC-IGBT) that effectively prevent snapback by relocating the N-collectors and utilizing silicon–germanium in the collector region of each device. The forward mode of the proposed structures shows IC− VC characteristics without snapback, since the position of the N-collector is changed to prevent electron extraction. In the reverse mode, the silicon–germanium induces currents through tunneling and impacts the ionization mechanisms. Importantly, the proposed structures generate a stable current value even if there are errors in the length of the N-collector during ion implantation, which enhances the reliability of the device. In addition, the proposed structures exhibit similar values for the breakdown voltage at around 700 V and the turn-on and turn-off losses when compared to the conventional RC-IGBT. Thus, this paper improves the reliability of RC-IGBTs by mitigating the snapback effect while maintaining their unique electrical properties.

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Cite this article

[IEEE Style]

T. Y. Yoon, D. G. Park, S. Y. Kim, G. Kim, S. Kim, J. H. Kim, "RC‑IGBT snapback suppression using silicon germanium collector regions," Journal of Power Electronics, vol. 24, no. 10, pp. 1660-1669, 2024. DOI: 10.1007/s43236-024-00875-5.

[ACM Style]

Tae Young Yoon, Dong Gyu Park, Seong Yun Kim, Garam Kim, Sangwan Kim, and Jang Hyun Kim. 2024. RC‑IGBT snapback suppression using silicon germanium collector regions. Journal of Power Electronics, 24, 10, (2024), 1660-1669. DOI: 10.1007/s43236-024-00875-5.