ABSTRACT
The modern age of power electronics began with the introduction of thyristors in the late 1950s. Now there are several types of power devices available for high-power and high-frequency applications. The most notable power devices are gate turn-off thyristors (GTOs), power bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), power MOSFETs, insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), and integrated gate-commutated thyristors (IGCT). Power semiconductor devices are the most important functional elements in all power conversion applications. The power devices are mainly used as switches to convert power from one form to another. They are widely used in utility power applications such as power quality conditioning, renewable power source integration, high-voltage DC transmission (HVDC), and flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) as well as motor drives, uninterrupted power supplies, power supplies, induction heating, and many other power conversion applications. A review of the basic characteristics of these power devices is presented in this section.
