Ali W, Bissal A, März M (2026)
Publication Type: Journal article
Publication year: 2026
DOI: 10.1109/TPEL.2026.3657096
Hybrid circuit breakers (HCBs) are a new breed of circuit breakers that combine the benefits of mechanical circuit breakers (MBs) and solid-state circuit breakers (SSCBs) without suffering from any of the drawbacks. They offer fast interruption speeds and low on-state losses at the same time and do not even need any cooling. Nevertheless, they are not adopted due to the high associated semiconductor costs. This paper addresses this issue by proposing the use of inexpensive TO- 247 and TO-264 discrete IGBTs and operating them far beyond the safe operating area (SOA) typically stated in datasheets without any repercussions. The surge current interruption (SCI) capability and long-term reliability of commercially available 1.2 kV discrete IGBTs were investigated at 25 °C, 75 °C, and 125 °C. A custom-made power supply was used to generate variable gate voltages up to 50V. Furthermore, the devices were driven to their limits by increasing the current magnitude until they failed or entered desaturation. It was observed that devices typically failed upon reaching their thermal limit due to hotspot formation near the bond wire contact area. It has been proven that a device that is rated for as little as 100A is able to conduct and turn-off currents as high as 1450A, which is 14.5 times the rated current, without compromising reliability. This device has not only conducted and turned-off this current once, but more than 2000 operations were performed to demonstrate its robustness. Scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed structural integrity posttesting. These studies clearly show the effectiveness of using such small devices in reducing the size and cost of hybrid circuit breakers.
APA:
Ali, W., Bissal, A., & März, M. (2026). Evaluating Commercially Available 1.2 kV Discrete IGBTs in Hybrid DC Circuit Breakers: Surge Current Interruption, Reliability, and Failure Dynamics. IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics. https://doi.org/10.1109/TPEL.2026.3657096
MLA:
Ali, Waqas, Ara Bissal, and Martin März. "Evaluating Commercially Available 1.2 kV Discrete IGBTs in Hybrid DC Circuit Breakers: Surge Current Interruption, Reliability, and Failure Dynamics." IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics (2026).
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