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.