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Ask an Expert Forum Trying to find a high-speed, high-power transistor to use as a switch
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  • mosfet
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Trying to find a high-speed, high-power transistor to use as a switch

ZappaMap
ZappaMap over 1 year ago

I'm designing a high power H-bridge circuit, and I'm trying to find the best transistor for the design. The most important parameters are that it has
- 10MHz switching speed frequency

- Low on-state resistance

- Low off-state capacitance

From there, I would need it to handle high voltages and have a low gate charge. With that in mind, does anyone know of any parameter relationships I should be aware of or what products potentially match that description? Thank you!

EDIT:

Thank you all for your responses! To answer a couple questions I saw:

- I do not have a preference between MOSFETS and BJTs.

- For voltage and amperage, I don't have hard numbers for those. I'm still operating in the tradespace stage of the design right now, so I'm still figuring out what options I have. To give a ballpark range, a component that works with volts on the order of 10V or 100V and amps on the order of 10A wouldn't hurt. I am more concerned with the switching frequency, on-state resistance, and off-state capacitance.

I also learned a little more about switchmode amplifiers, and that is another avenue that I am now looking down (specifically class D and E).

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  • michaelkellett
    michaelkellett over 1 year ago +5
    I think you'll need to quantify the current and voltage to get good advice. 10MHz is very fast for typical H bridge type applications. Do you have a preference between MOSFETs and BJTs ? As you probably…
  • dougw
    dougw over 1 year ago +3
    You might have a look at Gallium Nitride transistors.
  • scottiebabe
    scottiebabe over 1 year ago +3
    You may also consider pre-engineered GaN half-bridge modules or ultrasound pulse drivers.
  • michaelkellett
    0 michaelkellett over 1 year ago

    I think you'll need to quantify the current and voltage to get good advice. 10MHz is very fast for typical H bridge type applications.

    Do you have  a preference between MOSFETs and BJTs ?

    As you probably already know its easy to get high current and high voltage at low speeds and possible to get very high speeds at low voltages and currents - getting all three is very hard.

    What is the end game here ?

    MK

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  • dougw
    0 dougw over 1 year ago

    You might have a look at Gallium Nitride transistors.

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  • Jan Cumps
    0 Jan Cumps over 1 year ago in reply to dougw

    They still require a 10-ish ns deadband. 1MHz is just doable for a half bridge.

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  • rsc
    0 rsc over 1 year ago in reply to $parentForumReply.Author.DisplayName

    IGBTs are very slow.  100khz is pushing the limits.10mhz I've never heard of with an IGBT.

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  • scottiebabe
    0 scottiebabe over 1 year ago

    You may also consider pre-engineered GaN half-bridge modules or ultrasound pulse drivers.

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  • shabaz
    +1 shabaz over 1 year ago

    No real information of what is a high voltage and what current needs to be supported.

    You could examine RF power transistors, discrete or otherwise. Here is an example dual transistor (i.e. half a H-bridge so two would be needed for a full H-bridge) which is pretty high-power and high-voltage, with a driver built-in. https://ww1.microchip.com/downloads/en/DeviceDoc/DRF1400_%20B.pdf 

    The price is as expected...

    Discrete transistors are going to be pricey too. They will come in funny packages, and you may need "opposite-packaged" pairs, otherwise it's a bit hard to route traces for them.

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  • Jan Cumps
    0 Jan Cumps over 1 year ago in reply to scottiebabe

    I tested TI LMG5200. GaN half bridge + frontend in a single package. It can switch fast - 1 MHz. Still a magnitude slower than the reqs. 

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  • michaelkellett
    0 michaelkellett over 1 year ago in reply to $parentForumReply.Author.DisplayName

    http://www2.arrl.org/files/file/QEX_Next_Issue/2014/May-Jun_2014/Horowitz.pdf

    But .... this is a quasi linear application of an IGBT.

    The rise and fall times (of the IGBT they used) add up to 37ns so they wouldn't work in a switching H bridge at anything like 20MHz - might scrape1MHz but they would get warm.

    But unless the OP comes back an explains better what they are looking for we are, to coin a phrase, "switching in the dark" (although he did say switching speed, but he might have meant switching frequency which is more commonly measured in Hz)

    Has anyone (here on E14) used IGBTs in a linear application.

    There is a nice Analogue Devices app note for an audio power amplifier design but you can't buy the P channel parts any more.

    I've used IGBTs in linear (high-ish) power regulators with reasonable success.

    MK

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  • scottiebabe
    0 scottiebabe over 1 year ago in reply to Jan Cumps

    Vernit was hopeless but I found it on google:) 

    image

    Did you try it at 10 MHz

    image

    image

    Exciting I will read about your adventure!

    Edit: I goofed the search, it is there

    image

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  • Jan Cumps
    0 Jan Cumps over 1 year ago in reply to scottiebabe

    No. My board (and TI's ref design) top out at 1 MHz (i forgot it could actually do 10)

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