COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF FUNCTIONAL AND ECONOMIC PARAMETERS OF IGBT AND MOSFET SWITCHES

Abstract

This paper presents an overview and comparison of the most popular at the moment electronic switches used in power electronics: bipolar transistors with an insulated gate (IGBTs) and field-effect transistors with insulated gate (MOSFETs). The study includes a sample formed from commercially available components and for the period 2008 to 2013 (a total of over 1200 devices). Analyzed and compared are the main functional characteristics of
the devices and their development during this period: the maximum current and voltage parameters, switching power losses and cost. The analysis leads to conclusions about the advantages of each of the two types of devices: IGBTs are with more variety, lower cost, lower total losses per unit commutated power; MOSFETs have relatively smaller conduction losses. The accumulated database of over 1200 devices is available at http://www.tu-varna.bg/tu-varnaetm/images/Research/Valchev/transistor%20data.rar.