Study on Oscillations during Short Circuit of MW-Scale IGBT Power Modules by Means of a 6-kA/1.1-kV Nondestructive Testing System

This paper uses a 6-kA/1.1-kV nondestructive testing system for the analysis of the short-circuit behavior of insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power modules. A field-programmable gate array enables the definition of control signals to an accuracy of 10 ns. Multiple 1.7-kV/1-kA IGBT power modules displayed severe divergent oscillations, which were subsequently characterized. Experimental tests indicate that nonnegligible circuit stray inductance plays an important role in the divergent oscillations. In addition, the temperature dependence of the transconductance is proposed as an important element in triggering for the oscillations.