With carbon emissions moving toward carbon neutrality and the rise of new energy vehicles, demand for power components in the market has surged.
According to the British research firm Media, the world power semiconductor market will be about $14.5 billion in 2020 and is expected to increase to about $17.3 billion by 2024, a year-on-year increase of about 19%.
With the rise of the third generation of semiconductors, power semiconductors have become the new wind, the basics about power semiconductor discrete devices sure not to understand?
As the most basic unit in the electronic system, power semiconductor devices in various industries, including automotive electronics, consumer electronics, network communications, electronic equipment, aerospace, weapons and equipment, instrumentation, industrial automation, medical electronics, etc., are playing a vital role, known as the “energy-saving heroes behind the scenes.
How to define power semiconductor discrete devices
Power semiconductor devices, also known as power electronics and power electronics, is the main circuit that can be used directly for processing electrical energy, to achieve the conversion or control of electrical energy electronic devices, its role is mainly divided into power conversion, power amplification, power switching, line protection and rectification, etc.
Power semiconductors can be broadly divided into two categories: power semiconductor discrete devices and power semiconductor integrated circuits (Power IC). The structure of the semiconductor industry in the relationship is shown in Figure 1. Among them, the power semiconductor discrete device is specified to complete a certain basic function, and itself, the function can not be subdivided into semiconductor devices.
In 1957, General Electric Company (GE) developed the world’s first industrial ordinary thyristor, marking the birth of power semiconductor discrete devices. The development of power semiconductor discrete devices has experienced the first phase with thyristor as the core, the second phase with MOSFET and IGBT as the representative, and now is entering a new development phase with wide band semiconductor devices as the core.
How to classify power semiconductor discrete devices
❖ According to the device divides the structure into diodes, power transistors, thyristors, etc. Among them, power transistors are divided into bipolar junction transistors (BJT), junction field-effect transistors (JFET), metal oxide field-effect transistors (MOSFET) and insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBT), etc.
❖ According to the power handling capacity is divided into low-voltage small power semiconductor discrete devices, medium power semiconductor discrete devices, high-power semiconductor discrete devices and high-voltage very high-power semiconductor discrete devices.
❖ According to the nature of the signal added between the control side and the common side of the driving circuit (except power diodes) can be divided into current-driven and voltage-driven types.
Current-driven: Power semiconductor discrete devices turn off by injecting or drawing current from the control side.
Voltage-driven: Power semiconductor devices that turn on or off by applying a certain voltage signal between the control terminal and the common terminal.
❖ According to the device’s degree of control, the control circuit signal can be divided into uncontrollable, semi-controllable and fully-controllable.
Uncontrollable devices: power semiconductor discrete devices that cannot be controlled by a control signal to turn on or off, and the representative device is a power diode.
Semi-controlled devices: The control signal can control it is on and not control its off power semiconductor discrete devices, the representative device for the thyristor and most of its derivatives.
Fully controlled devices: power semiconductor discrete devices that can control both their conduction and their shutdown through control signals, representing devices such as insulated gate bipolar transistors, power field-effect transistors, gate shutdown cable thyristors, etc…
❖ According to the device’s internal electron and hole, two carriers involved in the conductive situation can be divided into unipolar devices, bipolar devices and composite devices.
Unipolar devices: power semiconductor discrete devices with one type of carrier (electrons or holes) involved in the conductivity.
Bipolar devices: by the electron and hole two carriers involved in the conductive power semiconductor discrete devices.
Composite devices: power semiconductor discrete devices integrated and mixed by unipolar and bipolar devices.
❖ According to the different materials of power semiconductor device substrates, the existing materials of power semiconductor discrete devices can be divided into three generations.
The first generation of semiconductor materials is mainly represented by germanium (an early product, now uncommon) and silicon.
The second-generation semiconductor materials are mainly compound semiconductor materials represented by gallium arsenide (GaAs) and indium phosphide (InP).
The third-generation semiconductor materials are mainly wide band semiconductor materials represented by silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN).
Where power semiconductor discrete devices are used
Power semiconductor discrete devices are used in many applications, covering almost all of the electronics manufacturing industry. Traditional applications include consumer electronics, network communications, industrial motors, etc. In recent years, new energy vehicles and charging systems, rail transportation, smart grid, new energy power generation, aerospace and weapons equipment, etc., have gradually become the emerging application areas of power semiconductor discrete devices.
❖ Consumer electronics: power supply and charging system for various electronic devices, power semiconductor lighting power supply, household appliances inverter, etc.
❖ Industrial motors: A large number of AC and DC motors need to be used in industry, the controlled rectifier power supply or DC chopper power supply for their power supply, and the core devices for the frequency drive system of motors.
❖ Automotive electronics and charging system: power supply, lighting and other systems for traditional automobiles; charging pile (device), converter, inverter and other applications for new energy vehicles.
❖ Rail transportation: rectifier devices in DC locomotives, inverter devices in AC locomotives, DC choppers for rail transportation such as high-speed trains, moving trains and maglev trains, power conversion systems, drive control systems and battery charging systems for new energy vehicles, and power supply systems in various vehicles, aircraft and ships.
❖ Smart grid: DC transmission, flexible AC transmission, reactive power compensation technology, harmonic suppression technology in smart grid power transmission and technologies to improve power supply quality such as preventing instantaneous power outage, instantaneous voltage dips and flicker in the grid.
❖ New energy power generation: Inverters and converters in photovoltaic, wind power, solar power, geothermal power, bioenergy and fuel cell power generation systems.
❖ Aerospace: The super-strong irradiation resistance of third-generation semiconductor devices has absolute application advantages in aerospace.
❖ Weaponry: electromagnetic firing devices in the power supply system of long-range missiles, radar, and electromagnetic ejection systems.
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