What is an IGBT?
IGBT= Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor. A souped-up MOSFET with an extra junction that boosts the conductivity. It is more efficient at high voltages and currents than the MOSFET, just as easy to drive, but slower in switching speed. The Drain and Source terminals are renamed to Collector and Emitter. Note: MOSFETs have a parasitic diode built into the structure, which can sometimes be useful. Because of the extra junction, IGBTs end up with a thyristor instead, which is absolutely useless. In fact, it’s positively dangerous, because extreme overloads can trigger it, causing the device to “latch up” and self-destruct. The latest (“third-generation”) IGBTs are much more resistant to latchup.
