IGBT for photovoltaic inverter

What is the role of IGBT in an inverter?

As a power device, IGBT (insulated gate bipolar transistor) plays the role of power conversion and energy transmission in the inverter, and is the heart of the inverter. At the same time, IGBT is one of the most unreliable components in the inverter, which is very sensitive to the temperature and current of the device.

Are insulated-gate bipolar transistors a good choice for solar inverter applications?

For solar inverter applications, it is well known that insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) ofer benefits compared to other types of power devices, like high-current-carrying capability, gate control using voltage instead of current and the ability to match the co-pack diode with the IGBT.

What is a 4th IGBT?

The fourth IGBT is a trench-gate IGBT optimized to deliver low con-duction and switching losses for high-frequency switching such as in solar inverter applications. An IGBT is basically a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) with a metal oxide semiconductor gate structure.

Can IGBT degradation cause a failure of an inverter?

This IGBT degradation would most likely not cause the failure of an inverter, but could degrade performance. Furthermore, it is highly questionable if a device exhibiting significant instability would operate for the expected lifetime of an inverter (i.e. 5 to 20 years).

Can a 600V 60A silicon IGBT be used in residential inverters?

A commercially available 600V, 60A, silicon IGBT found in common residential inverters was evaluated under normal and extreme operating conditions with DC and pulsed biasing schemes.

What is an IGBT in a solar inverter?

An IGBT (Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor) is a fast switching device used in solar inverters. It transforms electrical current from an AC line circuit to DC, or from DC to AC.