Editing Power semiconductor device (section)

==History==

The first electronic device used in power circuits was the [[electrolytic rectifier]] - an early version was described by a French experimenter,  A. Nodon, in 1904. These were briefly popular with early radio experimenters as they could be improvised from aluminum sheets, and household chemicals. They had low withstand voltages and limited efficiency.<ref>Bernard Finn, ''Exposing Electronics'', CRC Press, 2000 {{ISBN|9058230562}} pages 14-15</ref>

The first solid-state power semiconductor devices were copper oxide rectifiers, used in early battery chargers and power supplies for radio equipment, announced in 1927 by L.O. Grundahl and P. H. Geiger.<ref>Peter Robin Morris, ''A History of the World Semiconductor Industry'', IET 1990 {{ISBN|0863412270}} page 18</ref>

The first [[germanium]] power semiconductor device appeared in 1952 with the introduction of the power [[diode]] by [[Robert N. Hall|R.N. Hall]]. It had a reverse voltage blocking capability of  200 [[volts|V]] and a [[current rating]] of 35 [[amperes|A]].

Germanium [[bipolar transistor]]s with substantial power handling capabilities (100 mA collector current) were introduced around 1952; with essentially the same construction as signal devices, but better heat sinking. Power handling capability evolved rapidly, and by 1954 germanium alloy junction transistors with 100 watt dissipation were available. These were all relatively low-frequency devices, used up to around 100&nbsp;kHz, and up to 85 degrees Celsius junction temperature.<ref>Peter Robin Morris, ''A History of the World Semiconductor Industry'', IET 1990 {{ISBN|0863412270}} pages 39-41</ref> Silicon power transistors were not made until 1957, but when available had better frequency response than germanium devices, and could operate up to 150 C junction temperature.

The [[thyristor]] appeared in 1957. It is able to withstand very high reverse [[breakdown voltage]] and is also capable of carrying high current. However, one disadvantage of the thyristor in switching circuits is that once it becomes 'latched-on' in the conducting state; it cannot be turned off by external control, as the thyristor turn-off is passive, i.e., the power must be disconnected from the device. Thyristors which could be turned off, called [[gate turn-off thyristor]]s (GTO), were introduced in 1960.<ref>H. van Ligten, D. Navon, "Basic turn-off of GTO switches", IRE Wescon Convention Record, Part 3 on Electron Devices, pp. 49 - 52, August 1960.</ref> These overcome some limitations of the ordinary thyristor, because they can be turned on or off with an applied signal.

=== Power MOSFET ===
{{Main|Power MOSFET}}
{{See also|FET amplifier|Insulated-gate bipolar transistor|MOSFET|LDMOS|VMOS}}

The MOSFET was invented at Bell Labs between 1955 and 1960<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Huff |first1=Howard |last2=Riordan |first2=Michael |date=2007-09-01 |title=Frosch and Derick: Fifty Years Later (Foreword) |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/2.F02073IF |journal=The Electrochemical Society Interface |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=29 |doi=10.1149/2.F02073IF |issn=1064-8208}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Frosch |first1=C. J. |last2=Derick |first2=L |date=1957 |title=Surface Protection and Selective Masking during Diffusion in Silicon |url=https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1149/1.2428650 |journal=Journal of the Electrochemical Society |language=en |volume=104 |issue=9 |pages=547 |doi=10.1149/1.2428650}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=KAHNG |first=D. |date=1961 |title=Silicon-Silicon Dioxide Surface Device |url=https://doi.org/10.1142/9789814503464_0076 |journal=Technical Memorandum of Bell Laboratories|pages=583–596 |doi=10.1142/9789814503464_0076 |isbn=978-981-02-0209-5 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Lojek |first=Bo |title=History of Semiconductor Engineering |date=2007 |publisher=Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg |isbn=978-3-540-34258-8 |location=Berlin, Heidelberg |page=321}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ligenza |first1=J.R. |last2=Spitzer |first2=W.G. |date=1960 |title=The mechanisms for silicon oxidation in steam and oxygen |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/0022369760902195 |journal=Journal of Physics and Chemistry of Solids |language=en |volume=14 |pages=131–136 |doi=10.1016/0022-3697(60)90219-5}}</ref><ref name="Lojek1202">{{cite book |last1=Lojek |first1=Bo |title=History of Semiconductor Engineering |date=2007 |publisher=[[Springer Science & Business Media]] |isbn=9783540342588 |page=120}}</ref> Generations of MOSFET transistors enabled power designers to achieve performance and density levels not possible with bipolar transistors.<ref>{{cite news |title=Rethink Power Density with GaN |url=https://www.electronicdesign.com/power/rethink-power-density-gan |access-date=23 July 2019 |work=[[Electronic Design]] |date=21 April 2017}}</ref> Due to improvements in MOSFET technology (initially used to produce [[integrated circuit]]s), the [[power MOSFET]] became available in the 1970s.

In 1969, [[Hitachi]] introduced the first vertical power MOSFET,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Oxner |first1=E. S. |title=Fet Technology and Application |date=1988 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=9780824780500 |page=18 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0AE-0e-sAnsC&pg=PA18}}</ref> which would later be known as the [[VMOS]] (V-groove MOSFET).<ref name="powerelectronics">{{cite journal |title=Advances in Discrete Semiconductors March On |url=https://www.powerelectronics.com/content/advances-discrete-semiconductors-march |journal=Power Electronics Technology |publisher=[[Informa]] |pages=52–6 |access-date=31 July 2019 |date=September 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060322222716/http://powerelectronics.com/mag/509PET26.pdf |archive-date=22 March 2006 |url-status=live }}</ref> From 1974, [[Yamaha Corporation|Yamaha]], [[JVC]], [[Pioneer Corporation]], [[Sony]] and [[Toshiba]] began manufacturing [[audio amplifier]]s with power MOSFETs.<ref name="Duncan177">{{cite book |last1=Duncan |first1=Ben |title=High Performance Audio Power Amplifiers |date=1996 |publisher=[[Elsevier]] |isbn=9780080508047 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/highperfomanceau0000dunc/page/177 177-8, 406] |url=https://archive.org/details/highperfomanceau0000dunc/page/177 }}</ref> [[International Rectifier]] introduced a 25&nbsp;A, 400&nbsp;V power MOSFET in 1978.<ref name="DEP">Jacques Arnould, Pierre Merle ''Dispositifs de l'électronique de puissance'', Éditions Hermès, {{ISBN|2-86601-306-9}} (in French)</ref> This device allows operation at higher frequencies than a bipolar transistor, but is limited to low voltage applications.

The [[Insulated-gate bipolar transistor]] (IGBT) was developed in the 1980s, and became widely available in the 1990s. This component has the power handling capability of the bipolar transistor and the advantages of the isolated gate drive of the power MOSFET.