IGBT Module
Switches 100–3 600 A at 600–6 500 V with on-state losses 30–50 % lower than power MOSFETs at the same voltage, the dominant device in EV traction inverters, industrial motor drives, solar inverters, and railway propulsion.
An IGBT chip is a vertical structure with a MOSFET-style poly-silicon gate at the top controlling current into a deep n-drift region, with a p-type collector at the bottom that injects minority carriers into the drift region (conductivity modulation). This injected charge cuts on-resistance by an order of magnitude vs a pure MOSFET, but slows turn-off (tail current). Modules combine 2–24 IGBT chips with antiparallel free-wheel diodes on a copper-bonded ceramic (DBC) substrate, soldered to a copper baseplate for heat extraction.
In plain terms
Like a hybrid car for power transistors — a fuel-efficient electric drive (MOSFET gate) controls a powerful gasoline engine (bipolar conduction), giving the easy steering of one with the muscle of the other.
Why designers use it
- Conducts 200 A at 1.7 V (Vce(sat)) in a 1200 V class IGBT vs 3 V or more for a comparable MOSFET, dramatically cutting motor-drive conduction loss.
- Voltage-controlled MOS gate needs only ±15 V drive, far easier than the base-current drive of a bipolar Darlington module.
- DBC and baseplate construction in industry-standard 62 mm and EconoDUAL footprints lets system integrators swap modules between vendors.
- Mature short-circuit-rated 10 µs immunity — handles motor-stall and shoot-through events that destroy unprotected MOSFETs.
Best for
- EV traction
- Solar inverters
- Industrial drives
Key specifications
- Operating limits: Check the exact manufacturer's datasheet (A family name does not establish voltage, current, temperature or timing limits.)
- Pin assignment: Match the complete part and package code (A similar name or function does not guarantee the same wiring.)
- Mechanical fit: Use the exact package drawing (Check pad layout, dimensions and viewing direction before building.)
When not to use it
- Switching above 50 kHz — IGBT tail current causes high turn-off loss; pick SiC MOSFETs.
- Below 600 V applications under 100 A — silicon power MOSFETs are cheaper and switch faster.
Common mistakes
- Driving with a sharp gate-resistor pulling Vge negative quickly — the dV/dt across the collector-base capacitance can momentarily turn the IGBT back on, latching it.
- Skipping the de-saturation protection circuit — when the IGBT is forced into linear operation by an output short, junction temperature rises hundreds of °C in 10 µs without de-sat trip.
Where you will find it
- A 2024 BMW iX5 fuel-cell prototype uses an Infineon HybridPACK Drive IGBT module — six 750 V/ 600 A FS5 IGBT chips on a single DBC — to invert the high-voltage DC battery into the three-phase AC that drives the rear permanent-magnet motor: the IGBT's low Vce(sat) under 1.6 V at 200 A is what gives the inverter 98 % efficiency at cruise.
- A SolarEdge SE100K commercial PV inverter uses a Mitsubishi PM75CL1A120 IGBT module per phase to invert ~800 V DC into 480 V three-phase AC at 100 kW: the 1200 V/75 A IGBT module's short-circuit rating is what protects the inverter against grid-side faults.
- A Siemens Vectron locomotive traction inverter uses 6.5 kV, 1500 A IGBT modules to drive the AC traction motors: each FZ1500R65KE3 module is liquid-cooled and switches the 4 kV DC catenary down to variable-frequency three-phase AC for the motor — the same Baliga IGBT physics, scaled to gigawatt-hour railway service.
A short history
The insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) was first demonstrated by B. Jayant Baliga at General Electric's R&D Center in 1979 and refined by Becke and Wheatley in 1982. The IGBT combines the high-input-impedance voltage gate of a MOSFET with the low-saturation-voltage bipolar current path, enabling efficient switching of hundreds of amps at 600–6500 V. IGBT power modules—multiple IGBT chips and freewheeling diodes assembled on a copper-bonded ceramic substrate in a standard footprint—were commercialised in the mid-1980s by Eupec, Mitsubishi, and IXYS. IGBTs are the dominant switching device in electric vehicle inverters, industrial motor drives, and railway traction equipment.