IGCT-a new emerging technology for high power, low cost inverters

With the concept of the hard driven GTO a drastically improved turn-off performance is obtained. Further technological breakthroughs within the hard driven GTO concept on device, gate-drive and application level are the base for the new "integrated gate-commutated thyristor" (IGCT). Homogenous switching due to hard drive technology enhances the safe-operating area of the IGCT up to the limits given by dynamic avalanche and therefore the physical limits of silicon. No dv/dt-snubbers are needed. Additionally the combination with improved loss characteristics allow the realization of new high frequency applications up in the kHz range. The gate-drive power requirements are reduced by factor of 5 compared to the standard GTO technology mainly resulting from the transparent anode design. A new IGCT device family with monolithically integrated high-power diodes has been developed for applications in the range of 0.5 MVA to 6 MVA. The inherent feasibility of series and parallel connection of the IGCT devices expands the power range up to several 100 MVA. A first 100 MVA intertie based on IGCT technology has already been in commercial operation for more than one year, showing the expected very high level of reliability of this new technology.