Fast high-power/high-voltage switch using series-connected IGBTs with active gate-controlled voltage-balancing

There exists an acute need for fast high-voltage solid-state switches in a broad area of applications. With the proposed method of active gate-controlled voltage balancing, fast high power/high voltage semiconductor switches with working voltages of several kilovolts using series-connected insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT) can be realized. Transient and static voltage balancing is tested on an experimental 3.5 kV/300 A switch with three series-connected 3rd-generation IGBTs.>