Power semiconductors

Which metric indicates how long a power device can withstand a short circuit, such as both upper and lower switches of an inverter turning on at once, without being destroyed?

  1. AFIT
  2. BMTBF
  3. CShort-circuit withstand time
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Answer: C. Short-circuit withstand time

Short-circuit withstand time is how long a device can endure the large current of a short circuit without being destroyed (on the order of several µs). Protection circuits must detect the short and turn the device off within that time. Note that SiC MOSFETs, with their small chips, tend to have shorter withstand times than IGBTs.

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More Power semiconductors questions

  1. What is the purpose of providing a short period in which both switches are off (dead time) when switching the upper and lower switches of an inverter?
  2. Which is a known cause of degradation when current flows continuously through the body diode of a SiC MOSFET?
  3. Which is an example of an everyday product in which GaN power devices are increasingly used?
  4. What is the main role of power semiconductors?
  5. What is the conduction loss of a power MOSFET with an on-resistance of 10 mΩ carrying 10 A?