IGCT technology baseline and future opportunities

TLDR

Since its commercial launch in 1997, the IGCT has rapidly advanced into high‑power electronics—industrial drives, traction, and energy management—thanks to technologies derived from GTOs and IGBTs, including advanced anode/buffer‑layer designs, lifetime profiling, monolithic diode integration, and junction passivation, enabling asymmetric, reverse‑conducting, and symmetric devices. The paper explores the future potential of IGCTs, focusing on 10 kV and dual‑gate devices, and argues that standardized components and Power Electronic Building Blocks (PEBB) are essential to meet cost targets. The authors outline trends and opportunities for achieving PEBB goals and present a new very‑high‑power PEBB, developed with the Office of Naval Research for transmission and distribution, that leverages series‑connected IGCTs. The study finds that diversified applications demand standardized components and that realizing PEBB is essential to meet cost expectations, and it demonstrates a new very‑high‑power PEBB using series‑connected IGCTs.

Abstract

Commercially introduced in 1997, the IGCT has rapidly progressed into the main areas of high power electronics, namely: industrial drives, traction and energy management. Its simultaneous expansion towards higher and lower powers in such a short period of time was made possible by drawing on technologies derived from years of work on both GTOs and IGBTs. These technologies include anode and buffer-layer designs, lifetime profiling, separation technology for monolithic diode integration and junction passivation techniques. Asymmetric, reverse conducting and symmetric devices have become available to meet expanding application needs. The future potential especially in respect of 10 kV and dual gate devices is discussed. Diversified applications will require standardised components and the Power Electronic Building Blocks will have to become reality if cost expectations are to be met. The paper outlines the trends and opportunities for meeting PEBB goals and shows the newest very high power PEBB, developed with the Office of Naval Research especially for T&D applications, with simple supply on potential of series connected IGCTs.