A current sharing snubber of parallel IGBTs based on duality principle

Abstract

Parallel connection of multiple insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) is an important approach to improve the current level of equipment in applications of power electronics. The key to ensure the safe and stable operation of parallel IGBTs is to realize current sharing for them. A novel current sharing snubber of parallel IGBTs is proposed for high-power applications, which is derived from a voltage sharing snubber of series IGBTs by duality principle. It not only effectively suppresses the overcurrent and static and dynamic current imbalance, but also possesses advantages of simple structure and easy implementation. The operating principle and deficiencies of the proposed snubber are first analyzed, and then the improved topology is presented. In order to apply the snubber to multiple IGBTs, various topologies and their derivation processes are given. The improvements are carried out and suitable structures are determined by analysis and comparison. In addition, the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed snubber are verified by experiments. Finally, the proposed snubber is compared with other current sharing methods.

Keywords

• Current sharing
• Duality principle
• Insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT)
• Snubber