Fast-clamped short-circuit protection of IGBT's

Identification of fault current during the operation of a power semiconduct or switch and activation of suitable remedial actions are important for rel iable operation of power converters. A short circuit is a basic and severe fault situation in a circuit structure, such as voltage-source converters. This paper presents a new active protection circuit for fast and precise cl amping and safe shutdown of fault currents of the insulated gate bipolar tr ansistors (IGBT's), This circuit allows operation of the IGBT's with a high er on-state gate voltage, which can thereby reduce the conduction loss in t he device without compromising the short-circuit protection characteristics . The operation of the circuit is studied under various conditions, conside ring variation of temperature, rising rate of fault current, gate voltage v alue, and protection circuit parameters, An evaluation of the operation of the circuit is made using IGBT's from different manufacturers to confirm th e effectiveness of the protection circuit.