Characteristics of MOS-controlled thyristors under zero voltage soft-switching conditions

During the development of new MOS-controlled thyristors (MCTs), considerable effort has been spent to evaluate and enhance the dynamic performance of MCTs under zero-voltage soft-switching conditions encountered in several resonant converter configurations. The authors summarize key MCT characterization results as they relate to their dynamic performance during zero-voltage switching. Furthermore, a test circuit that enables characterization of the zero-voltage turn-on and turn-off switching losses of the device is proposed. Behavior models are proposed and evaluated to predict the MCT turn-off losses under various soft-switching conditions. These models are useful for both the circuit designer and the device designer in order to optimize device performance in high-frequency, soft-switching converters.< >