SiC MOSFETs / MOSFETs / IGBTs / Bipolar Transistors

Common

• What types of transistors are available?
• What drives transistors: current or voltage?
• What is a MOSFET?
• What is an IGBT?
• What is a JFET?
• What is a bipolar transistor?
• What is a bias resistor built-in transistor?
• What is a multi-chip discrete device?
• Technical documents for MOSFETs and bipolar transistors contain a safe operating area (SOA) graph. What is it?
• Is it OK to use a transistor as diodes?
• I heard that a junction FET could be used as a constant-current source. How can I create a constant-current source?
• A junction FET is widely used for impedance conversion. What is it for?
• Are there any special considerations for thermal calculation?
• Neither Rth(ch-a) nor Rth(j-a) is specified for MOSFETs, IGBTs and bipolar transistors. Why is that?
• Are there any reasons why junction-to-case (or channel-to-case) thermal resistance is not specified for small-package devices?
• What kinds of tape packing does Toshiba offer for transistors?
• Why is no operating temperature range specified?

SiC MOSFETs

• What kind of material SiC is? And what kind of characteristics does SiC MOSFET have?
• Can SiC MOSFET be connected in parallel and used?
• Is the back of the SiC MOSFET package insulated?
• What are the characteristics of body diode in SiC MOSET?
• What changes when Si MOSFET/IGBT is replaced with SiC MOSFET?
• What should be noted when setting SiC MOSFET gate voltage (V_GS)?

MOSFETs

• How do N-channel MOSFETs work?
• How are super-junction MOSFETs different from common D-MOS?
• What are the capacitance characteristics of MOSFET.
• Electrical characteristics of MOSFETs (Static Characteristics IGSS/IDSS/V(BR)DSS/V(BR)DXS)
• Electrical characteristics of MOSFETs (Static Characteristics Vth)
• What is R_DS(ON), MOSFET drain-source on-resistance?
• Electrical characteristics of MOSFETs (Dynamic Characteristics Ciss/Crss/Coss)
• Electrical characteristics of MOSFETs (Dynamic Characteristics　tr/ton/tf/toff)
• Electrical characteristics of MOSFETs (Charge Characteristic Qg/Qgs1/Qgd/QSW/QOSS)
• What are the characteristics of MOSFET body diodes?
• What is the maximum rating listed in the MOSFET data sheet?
• What should I pay attention to when mounting a MOSFET?
• A dotted line in a safe operating area is annotated as “This area is limited by RDS(ON).” What does it mean?
• What is the definition of "drain current (DC) (Silicon limit)" listed in the Absolute Maximum Ratings table?
• What is the definition of power dissipation?
• What is avalanche in MOSFET? (avalanche capability)
• What is the avalanche capability specified as part of the absolute maximum ratings?
• Is it possible to use the Zener diode between the gate and source for surge absorption?
• Why is no operating temperature range specified?
• Why do Toshiba's power MOSFETs exhibit larger gate-source leakage current, IGSS, than those of other companies?
• Aren't there maximum guaranteed values for capacitance, gate charge (Qg) and switching characteristics?
• Is it acceptable to use a body diode between the drain and source?
• Is a high drive current necessary for power MOSFETs?
• Is the on-state resistance of a MOSFET dependent on temperature?
• MOS is sensitive to static electricity. How do you protect MOSFETs from static electricity?
• What are the parasitic diodes between the drain and source of the MOSFET?
• Where can I find information about the MOSFET naming conventions?
• Are there any reasons why forward transfer admittance, |Yfs|, is not specified in datasheets?
• How can I calculate the channel-to-ambient thermal resistance, Rth(ch-a), of a small-signal MOSFET?
• Resistors are often inserted between a CPU and MOSFETs. Why are these resistors necessary?
• Are the drain current I_D and I_DP (absolute maximum ratings) constant to temperature?
• What are the considerations when using MOSFETs in parallel?
• How much gate-source voltage should be applied to drive the MOSFET?
• The MOSFET does not turn off by a turn-off signal. How do I solve this problem?
• What is the meaning of “Logic-Level Gate Drive” for the MOSFET?
• When using a MOSFET as a load switch, how do I reduce the inrush current that occurs?
• What does the dv/dt of the MOSFET mean?
• What attention should be paid when the reverse voltage is applied between drain and source of power MOSFET?
• How to calculate the avalanche energy.
• Why are two MOSFETs used in series in the Lithium-ion secondary battery protection circuit?
• How to select a suitable high voltage MOSFET for the application that current flows in the body diode.
• What is derating of the safe operating area (SOA)?
• What part of the semiconductor is the case temperature measured on?
• What is Kelvin connection?
• How does the series gate resistor affect the MOSFET?
• What attention should be paid to rising and falling time of the driving signal for MOSFET?

IGBTs

• What is an IGBT?
• What is the difference between MOSFETs and IGBTs?
• For what applications should MOSFETs and IGBTs be used?
• What is the principle of operation of the IGBT?
• In what structures are IGBTs available?
• What is a reverse-conducting IGBT (RC-IGBT)?
• What is conductivity modulation?
• What is a safe operating area?
• What is the definition of IGBT power dissipation?
• What is the tail current of an IGBT?
• Please give some application examples for IGBTs.
• Please explain hard switching and soft switching using IGBTs.
• Please explain the operation of voltage-resonant soft switching of an IGBT.
• Please explain the operation of current-resonant soft switching of the IGBT.
• How can I provide protection against the surge voltage generated by the turn-off of an IGBT?
• Is it possible to connect multiple IGBTs in parallel? If so, is there anything to note about parallel connection?
• At what voltage should the IGBT gate be driven?

Bias Resistor Built-in Transistors (BRT)

• What is a bias resistor built-in transistor (BRT)?
• What are the variations in resistance?
• What is the maximum voltage that can be applied to the base of a bias resistor built-in transistor (BRT)? (How many watts is the allowable power dissipation of the built-in resistors?)
• How to calculate the allowable power dissipation of a bias resistor built-in transistor (BRT)
• At what voltages does the bias resistor built-in transistor (BRT) turn on and off?
• Basic idea of how to calculate the base current and input voltage of a bias resistor built-in transistor (BRT)　
• About the h_FE of a bias resistor built-in transistor (BRT)
• What types of bias resistor built-in transistors (BRTs) are available?
• How to select bias resistor built-in transistors (BRTs)
• How to read the datasheet (electrical characteristics) of a bias resistor built-in transistor (BRT)
• How does a bias resistor built-in transistor (BRT) operate?
• If the V_CE(sat) of a bias resistor built-in transistor (BRT) does not drop to the design target because of a heavy load, what can I do?
• What can I do to increase the switching speed of a bias resistor built-in transistor (BRT)?
• Obtaining necessary voltage when a bias resistor built-in transistor (BRT) is on (i.e., reducing a collector-emitter voltage drop in the “on” state)

Bipolar Transistors

• What types of bipolar transistors (bipolar junction transistors: BJTs) are available?
• What are the applications of bipolar transistors (bipolar junction transistors: BJTs) ?
• What is the relationship between the base current and collector current of a bipolar junction transistor (BJT) ?
• How do npn and pnp transistors operate?
• Reading individual technical datasheets for bipolar transistors
• What are the electrical characteristics of bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) ?
• What is the method for measuring the electrical characteristics of bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) ?
• Are the collector and emitter terminals of a bipolar transistor interchangeable?
• What is the relationship between transient thermal impedance and safe operating area of bipolar transistors?
• Datasheets and other documents for bipolar transistors contain a safe operating area (SOA) graph. What is it?
• Are there any special considerations for heat dissipation from bipolar transistors?
• What occurs if reverse voltage exceeding the absolute maximum rated emitter-base voltage is applied to the base terminal of bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) ?
• How can I calculate the junction-to-ambient thermal resistance, R_th(j-a), of a small-signal transistor?