Powerex Transistors - Powerex IGBT
Powerex IGBTs
Established on January 1, 1986, Powerex is the result of a combination of two pioneers in the power semiconductor industry - the Power Semiconductor Divisions of General Electric Company and Westinghouse Electric Corporation. With the idea of advancement toward the future, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation established an equity position in Powerex. In 1994, Westinghouse sold its shares to General Electric and Mitsubishi Electric, which currently share equal ownership of Powerex. The Powerex Corporate office resides in Youngwood, Pennsylvania and currently employees around 325 people. In addition to the Powerex manufacturing facility/corporate headquarters in Youngwood, PA, USA, Powerex also serves the global market via its manufacturing facility in Tangiers, Morocco.
IGBT's (short for "Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors") are switching transistors that are controlled by voltage applied to the gate terminal. Structure and device operation is similar to Insulated Gate Field Effect Transistors, more commonly-known as MOSFETs. The main difference between IGBTs and MOSFETs is that the IGBT uses conductivity modulation to reduce on-state conduction losses.
Powerex IGBT Design
Powerex IGBT modules are meticulously designed for ruggedness, low loss and ease of use, Advanced processing technology grants low on-state saturation voltages while maintaining the high switching speed needed for 20KHZ operation. These modules can consist of a single Powerex IGBT transistor in a single configuration, two IGBT Transistors in a half-bridge configuration, four IGBTs in an H Bridge configuration or with six IGBT Transistors in a three phase bridge configuration. Each transistor contains a reverse-connected super-fast recovery free-wheel diode. Some modules in the three phase bridge configuration may also include a seventh Powerex IGBT with free-wheel diode for dynamic braking.
Three Major Device Technologies
Powerex IGBT Video Overview