Faculty of Science

Objectives

To identify the major classes of active devices deployed in power electronics systems and explain the principles of operation.

Contents

Physical operating principles of: semiconductor diodes, power transistors - bipolar and mosfet, thyristors, gate-controlled switches; The characteristics, available ratings and basic applications of these devices with emphasis on power losses, di/dt and dv/dt ratings; turn-on time; charge storage effects; turn-off time; heat dissipation; steady-state and transient current ratings; Driver circuits for using the above devices to control power to loads; Converters; inverters; switched-mode power supply; cyclo-converters; motor control; traction systems; driving circuits for transistors and thyristors; switching aid circuits; snubber circuits.