A Major Design Step in IETO Concept Realization That Allows Overcurrent Protection and Pushes Limits of Switching Performance

This paper presents the latest prototype of the integrated emitter turn-off thyristor concept, which potentially ranks among thyristor high-power devices like the gate turn-off thyristor and the integrated gate-commutated thyristor (IGCT). Due to modifications of the external driver stage and mechanical press-pack design optimization, this prototype allows for full device characterization. The turn-off capability was increased to 1600 A with an active silicon area of 823 mm². This leads to a transient peak power of 672.1 kW/cm². Within this paper, measurements and concept assessment are presented and a comparison to state-of-the-art IGCT devices is provided.