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Insulated-gate bipolar transistor
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==History== [[File:1957(Figure 7)-Gate oxide transistor by Frosch and Derrick.png|thumb|340x340px|Diagram of NPNP transistor made by Frosch and Derrick at Bell Labs, 1957<ref name="iopscience.iop.org">{{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|url-access=subscription }}</ref>]] The bipolar point-contact transistor was invented in December 1947<ref>{{cite web |title=1947: Invention of the Point-Contact Transistor |url=http://www.computerhistory.org/semiconductor/timeline/1947-invention.html |access-date=August 10, 2016 |publisher=[[Computer History Museum]]}}</ref> at the [[Bell Telephone Laboratories]] by [[John Bardeen]] and [[Walter Brattain]] under the direction of [[William Shockley]]. The junction version known as the bipolar junction transistor (BJT), invented by Shockley in 1948.<ref>{{cite web |title=1948: Conception of the Junction Transistor |url=http://www.computerhistory.org/semiconductor/timeline/1948-conception.html |access-date=August 10, 2016 |publisher=Computer History Museum}}</ref> Later the similar thyristor was proposed by William Shockley in 1950 and developed in 1956 by power engineers at [[General Electric]] (GE). The [[metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor]] (MOSFET) was also invented at Bell Labs.<ref name="iopscience.iop.org"/><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 |url-access=subscription }}</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> In 1957 Frosch and Derick published their work on building the first silicon dioxide transistors, including a NPNP transistor, the same structure as the IGBT.<ref name=":5">{{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|url-access=subscription }}</ref> The basic IGBT mode of operation, where a pnp transistor is driven by a MOSFET, was first proposed by K. Yamagami and Y. Akagiri of [[Mitsubishi Electric]] in the Japanese [[patent]] S47-21739, which was filed in 1968.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Majumdar |first1=Gourab |last2=Takata |first2=Ikunori |title=Power Devices for Efficient Energy Conversion |date=2018 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=9781351262316 |pages=144, 284, 318 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oSJWDwAAQBAJ}}</ref> [[Image:IvsV IGBT-en.svg|thumb|300px|Static characteristic of an IGBT]] In 1978 J. D. Plummer and B. Scharf patented a NPNP transistor device combining MOS and bipolar capabilities for power control and switching.<ref name=":7">{{cite book |last1=Scharf |first1=B. |title=1978 IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference. Digest of Technical Papers |last2=Plummer |first2=J. |year=1978 |pages=222–223 |chapter=A MOS-controlled triac device |doi=10.1109/ISSCC.1978.1155837 |s2cid=11665546}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite patent|number=USRE33209E|title=Monolithic semiconductor switching device|gdate=1990-05-01|invent1=Plummer|inventor1-first=James D.|url=https://patents.google.com/patent/USRE33209E}}</ref> The development of IGBT was characterized by the efforts to completely suppress the thyristor operation or the latch-up in the four-layer device because the latch-up caused the fatal device failure. IGBTs had, thus, been established when the complete suppression of the latch-up of the parasitic thyristor was achieved. Later, Hans W. Becke and Carl F. Wheatley developed a similar device claiming non-latch-up. They patented the device in 1980, referring to it as "power MOSFET with an anode region" for which "no thyristor action occurs under any device operating conditions".<ref name="U. S. Patent No. 4,364,073">[https://patents.google.com/patent/US4364073 U. S. Patent No. 4,364,073], Power MOSFET with an Anode Region, issued December 14, 1982 to Hans W. Becke and Carl F. Wheatley.</ref><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.eng.umd.edu/html/news/news_story.php?id=5778 | title = C. Frank Wheatley, Jr., BSEE | work = Innovation Hall of Fame at A. James Clark School of Engineering}}</ref> A. Nakagawa et al. invented the device design concept of non-latch-up IGBTs in 1984.<ref name="Nakagawa Ohashi Kurata et al 1984">{{cite book |doi=10.1109/IEDM.1984.190866 |chapter=Non-latch-up 1200V 75A bipolar-mode MOSFET with large ASO |title=1984 International Electron Devices Meeting |year=1984 |last1=Nakagawa |first1=A. |last2=Ohashi |first2=H. |last3=Kurata |first3=M. |last4=Yamaguchi |first4=H. |last5=Watanabe |first5=K. |pages=860–861 |s2cid=12136665 }}</ref><ref name="patents.google.com">A. Nakagawa, H. Ohashi, Y. Yamaguchi, K. Watanabe and T. Thukakoshi, "Conductivity modulated MOSFET" [https://patents.google.com/patent/US6025622 US Patent No. 6025622 (Feb. 15, 2000)], No. 5086323 (Feb. 4, 1992) and [https://patents.google.com/patent/US4672407 No. 4672407 (Jun. 9, 1987)].</ref> The invention is characterized by the device design setting the device saturation current below the latch-up current, which triggers the parasitic thyristor. This invention realized complete suppression of the parasitic thyristor action, for the first time, because the maximal collector current was limited by the saturation current and never exceeded the latch-up current. In the early development stage of IGBT, all the researchers tried to increase the latch-up current itself in order to suppress the latch-up of the parasitic thyristor. However, all these efforts failed because IGBT could conduct enormously large current. Successful suppression of the latch-up was made possible by limiting the maximal collector current, which IGBT could conduct, below the latch-up current by controlling/reducing the saturation current of the inherent MOSFET. This was the concept of non-latch-up IGBT. "Becke’s device" was made possible by the non-latch-up IGBT. The IGBT is characterized by its ability to simultaneously handle a high voltage and a large current. The product of the voltage and the current density that the IGBT can handle reached more than 5{{E|5}} W/cm<sup>2</sup>,<ref name="A.Nakagawa 1987"/><ref name="A. Nakagawa pp. 150–153"/> which far exceeded the value, 2{{E|5}} W/cm<sup>2</sup>, of existing power devices such as bipolar transistors and power MOSFETs. This is a consequence of the large [[safe operating area]] of the IGBT. The IGBT is the most rugged and the strongest power device yet developed, affording ease of use and so displacing bipolar transistors and even [[gate turn-off thyristor]]s (GTOs). This excellent feature of the IGBT had suddenly emerged when the non-latch-up IGBT was established in 1984 by solving the problem of so-called "latch-up", which is the main cause of device destruction or device failure. Before that, the developed devices were very weak and were easily destroyed by "latch-up". ===Practical devices=== Practical devices capable of operating over an extended current range were first reported by [[B. Jayant Baliga]] et al. in 1982.<ref name="J. Baliga, pp. 264–267">{{cite book |last1=Baliga |first1=B.J. |title=1982 International Electron Devices Meeting |last2=Adler |first2=M. S. |last3=Gray |first3=P. V. |last4=Love |first4=R. P. |last5=Zommer |first5=N. |year=1982 |pages=264–267 |chapter=The insulated gate rectifier (IGR): A new power switching device |doi=10.1109/IEDM.1982.190269 |s2cid=40672805}}</ref> The first experimental demonstration of a practical discrete vertical IGBT device was reported by Baliga at the [[IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting]] (IEDM) that year.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Shenai |first1=K. |title=The Invention and Demonstration of the IGBT [A Look Back] |journal=IEEE Power Electronics Magazine |date=2015 |volume=2 |issue=2 |pages=12–16 |doi=10.1109/MPEL.2015.2421751 |s2cid=37855728 |issn=2329-9207}}</ref><ref name="J. Baliga, pp. 264–267"/> [[General Electric]] commercialized Baliga's IGBT device the same year.<ref name="Baliga">{{cite book |last1=Baliga |first1=B. Jayant |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f091AgAAQBAJ |title=The IGBT Device: Physics, Design and Applications of the Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor |date=2015 |publisher=[[William Andrew (publisher)|William Andrew]] |isbn=9781455731534 |pages=xxviii, 5–12}}</ref> Baliga was inducted into the [[National Inventors Hall of Fame]] for the invention of the IGBT.<ref name="NIHF">{{cite web |title=NIHF Inductee Bantval Jayant Baliga Invented IGBT Technology |url=https://www.invent.org/inductees/bantval-jayant-baliga |website=[[National Inventors Hall of Fame]] |access-date=17 August 2019}}</ref> A similar paper was also submitted by J. P. Russel et al. to IEEE Electron Device Letter in 1982.<ref name=COMFET>{{cite journal |doi=10.1109/EDL.1983.25649 |title=The COMFET—A new high conductance MOS-gated device |year=1983 |last1=Russell |first1=J.P. |last2=Goodman |first2=A. M. |last3=Goodman |first3=L.A. |last4=Neilson |first4=J. M. |journal=IEEE Electron Device Letters |volume=4 |issue=3 |pages=63–65 |bibcode=1983IEDL....4...63R |s2cid=37850113 }}</ref> The applications for the device were initially regarded by the [[power electronics]] community to be severely restricted by its slow switching speed and latch-up of the parasitic thyristor structure inherent within the device. However, it was demonstrated by Baliga and also by A. M. Goodman et al. in 1983 that the switching speed could be adjusted over a broad range by using [[electron irradiation]].<ref name="J. Baliga, pp. 452–454">{{cite journal |last1=Baliga |first1=B.J. |year=1983 |title=Fast-switching insulated gate transistors |journal=[[IEEE Electron Device Letters]] |volume=4 |issue=12 |pages=452–454 |bibcode=1983IEDL....4..452B |doi=10.1109/EDL.1983.25799 |s2cid=40454892}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |doi=10.1109/IEDM.1983.190445 |chapter=Improved COMFETs with fast switching speed and high-current capability |title=1983 International Electron Devices Meeting |year=1983 |last1=Goodman |first1=A.M. |last2=Russell |first2=J. P. |last3=Goodman |first3=L. A. |last4=Nuese |first4=C. J. |last5=Neilson |first5=J. M. |pages=79–82 |s2cid=2210870 }}</ref> This was followed by demonstration of operation of the device at elevated temperatures by Baliga in 1985.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Temperature behavior of insulated gate transistor characteristics |journal=Solid-State Electronics |volume=28 |issue=3 |pages=289–297 |doi=10.1016/0038-1101(85)90009-7 |year=1985 |last1=Baliga |first1=B. Jayant |bibcode=1985SSEle..28..289B}}</ref> Successful efforts to suppress the latch-up of the parasitic thyristor and the scaling of the voltage rating of the devices at GE allowed the introduction of commercial devices in 1983,<ref>Product of the Year Award: "Insulated Gate Transistor", General Electric Company, Electronics Products, 1983.</ref> which could be used for a wide variety of applications. The electrical characteristics of GE's device, IGT D94FQ/FR4, were reported in detail by Marvin W. Smith in the proceedings of PCI April 1984.<ref name="archive1982.web.fc2.com">Marvin W. Smith, [https://archive1982.web.fc2.com/Application1984.pdf "APPLICATIONS OF INSULATED GATE TRANSISTORS"], PCI April 1984 PROCEEDINGS, pp. 121–131, 1984.</ref> Smith showed in Fig. 12 of the proceedings that turn-off above 10 amperes for gate resistance of 5 kΩ and above 5 amperes for gate resistance of 1 kΩ was limited by switching safe operating area although IGT D94FQ/FR4 was able to conduct 40 amperes of collector current. Smith also stated that the switching safe operating area was limited by the latch-up of the parasitic thyristor. Complete suppression of the parasitic thyristor action and the resultant non-latch-up IGBT operation for the entire device operation range was achieved by A. Nakagawa et al. in 1984.<ref name="Nakagawa Ohashi Kurata et al 1984"/> The non-latch-up design concept was filed for US patents.<ref>A. Nakagawa, H. Ohashi, Y. Yamaguchi, K. Watanabe and T. Thukakoshi, "Conductivity modulated MOSFET", [https://patents.google.com/patent/US6025622 US Patent No. 6025622 (Feb. 15, 2000)], No. 5086323 (Feb. 4, 1992) and [https://patents.google.com/patent/US4672407 No. 4672407 (Jun. 9, 1987)].</ref> To test the lack of latch-up, the prototype 1200 V IGBTs were directly connected without any loads across a 600 V constant-voltage source and were switched on for 25 microseconds. The entire 600 V was dropped across the device, and a large short-circuit current flowed. The devices successfully withstood this severe condition. This was the first demonstration of so-called "short-circuit-withstanding-capability" in IGBTs. Non-latch-up IGBT operation was ensured, for the first time, for the entire device operation range.<ref name="A. Nakagawa pp. 150–153">{{cite book |doi=10.1109/IEDM.1985.190916 |chapter=Experimental and numerical study of non-latch-up bipolar-mode MOSFET characteristics |title=1985 International Electron Devices Meeting |year=1985 |last1=Nakagawa |first1=A. |last2=Yamaguchi |first2=Y. |last3=Watanabe |first3=K. |last4=Ohashi |first4=H. |last5=Kurata |first5=M. |pages=150–153 |s2cid=24346402 }}</ref> In this sense, the non-latch-up IGBT proposed by Hans W. Becke and Carl F. Wheatley was realized by A. Nakagawa et al. in 1984. Products of non-latch-up IGBTs were first commercialized by [[Toshiba]] in 1985. This was the real birth of the present IGBT. Once the non-latch-up capability was achieved in IGBTs, it was found that IGBTs exhibited very rugged and a very large [[safe operating area]]. It was demonstrated that the product of the operating current density and the collector voltage exceeded the theoretical limit of bipolar transistors, 2{{E|5}} W/cm<sup>2</sup> and reached 5{{E|5}} W/cm<sup>2</sup>.<ref name="A.Nakagawa 1987"/><ref name="A. Nakagawa pp. 150–153"/> The insulating material is typically made of solid polymers, which have issues with degradation. There are developments that use an [[ion gel]] to improve manufacturing and reduce the voltage required.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.license.umn.edu/Products/Ion-Gel-as-a-Gate-Insulator-in-Field-Effect-Transistors__Z07062.aspx |title=Ion Gel as a Gate Insulator in Field Effect Transistors |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111114011218/http://www.license.umn.edu/Products/Ion-Gel-as-a-Gate-Insulator-in-Field-Effect-Transistors__Z07062.aspx |archive-date=2011-11-14 }}</ref> The first-generation IGBTs of the 1980s and early 1990s were prone to failure through effects such as [[latchup]] (in which the device will not turn off as long as current is flowing) and [[secondary breakdown]] (in which a localized hotspot in the device goes into [[thermal runaway]] and burns the device out at high currents). Second-generation devices were much improved. The current third-generation IGBTs are even better, with speed rivaling [[power MOSFET]]s and excellent ruggedness and tolerance of overloads.<ref name="A.Nakagawa 1987">{{cite journal |doi=10.1109/T-ED.1987.22929 |title=Safe operating area for 1200-V nonlatchup bipolar-mode MOSFET's |year=1987 |last1=Nakagawa |first1=A. |last2=Yamaguchi |first2=Y. |last3=Watanabe |first3=K. |last4=Ohashi |first4=H. |journal=IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices |volume=34 |issue=2 |pages=351–355 |bibcode=1987ITED...34..351N |s2cid=25472355 }}</ref> Extremely high pulse ratings of second- and third-generation devices also make them useful for generating large power pulses in areas including [[particle physics|particle]] and [[plasma physics]], where they are starting to supersede older devices such as [[thyratron]]s and [[triggered spark gap]]s. High pulse ratings and low prices on the surplus market also make them attractive to the high-voltage hobbyists for controlling large amounts of power to drive devices such as solid-state [[Tesla coil]]s and [[coilgun]]s.
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