5SHX2645L0002 3HB012961R0001 IGCT module

　　The power semiconductor development has to face physical and economical limits in the continuous devel- opment of the blocking voltages and the maximum turn- off currents. Typical maximum values for the GTO tech- nology are today 6kV dynamic blocking voltage and 6kA turn-off current. This corresponds to a maximum inverter power in an NPC inverter without series connected de- vices of about 15 MVA. The newest IGCT technology includes inherently the possibility to further expand this values. But this innovation will be not enough for the future demands. The future power electronics system market is asking for converter powers, which clearly exceed this value of 15 MVA. Inverter ratings of several 100 MVAs will be needed in the near future. To reach higher power ratings one solution is to divide the total power between several subsystems. Such in- stallations are considerably more complex then one- single high-power converter. What is more, they are more expensive to purchase and operate, exhibit lower effi- ciency and reduced full-power avaliability, and take up more space. The key innovation for the future high power applications is to introduce the series connection of turn-off devices.