HGTG40N60B3
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8
Handling Precautions for IGBTs
Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors are susceptible to
gate−insulation damage by the electrostatic discharge of
energy through the devices. When handling these devices,
care should be exercised to assure that the static charge built
in the handler’s body capacitance is not discharged through
the device. With proper handling and application
procedures, however, IGBTs are currently being extensively
used in production by numerous equipment manufacturers
in military, industrial and consumer applications, with
virtually no damage problems due to electrostatic discharge.
IGBTs can be handled safely if the following basic
precautions are taken:
1. Prior to assembly into a circuit, all leads should be
kept shorted together either by the use of metal
shorting springs or by the insertion into conductive
material such as “ECCOSORBD LD26” or
equivalent
2. When devices are removed by hand from their
carriers, the hand being used should be grounded
by any suitable means − for example, with a
metallic wristband
3. Tips of soldering irons should be grounded
4. Devices should never be inserted into or removed
from circuits with power on
5. Gate Voltage Rating − Never exceed the
gate−voltage rating of VGEM. Exceeding the rated
VGE can result in permanent damage to the oxide
layer in the gate region
6. Gate Termination − The gates of these devices are
essentially capacitors. Circuits that leave the gate
open−circuited or floating should be avoided.
These conditions can result in turn−on of the
device due to voltage buildup on the input
capacitor due to leakage currents or pickup
7. Gate Protection − These devices do not have an
internal monolithic Zener diode from gate to
emitter. If gate protection is required an external
Zener is recommended
Operating Frequency Information
Operating frequency information for a typical device
(Figure 4) is presented as a guide for estimating device
performance for a specific application. Other typical
frequency vs collector current (ICE) plots are possible using
the information shown for a typical unit in Figures 6 to 11.
The operating frequency plot (Figure 4) of a typical device
shows fMAX1 or fMAX2; whichever is smaller at each point.
The information is based on measurements of a typical
device and is bounded by the maximum rated junction
temperature.
fMAX1 is defined by fMAX1 = 0.05/(td(OFF)I+ td(ON)I).
Deadtime (the denominator) has been arbitrarily held to
10% of the on−state time for a 50% duty factor. Other
definitions are possible. td(OFF)I and td(ON)I are defined in
Figure 19. Device turn−off delay can establish an additional
frequency limiting condition for an application other than
TJM. td(OFF)I is important when controlling output ripple
under a lightly loaded condition.
fMAX2 is defined by fMAX2 = (PD − PC)/(EOFF + EON). The
allowable dissipation (PD) is defined by PD = (TJM −
TC)/RθJC. The sum of device switching and conduction
losses must not exceed PD. A 50% duty factor was used
(Figure 4) and the conduction losses (PC) are approximated
by PC = (VCE × ICE)/2.
EON and EOFF are defined in the switching waveforms
shown in Figure 19. EON is the integral of the instantaneous
power loss (ICE × V
CE) during turn−on and EOFF is the
integral of the instantaneous power loss (ICE × VCE) during
turn−off. All tail losses are included in the calculation for
EOFF; i.e., the collector current equals zero (ICE = 0).