Current and voltage waveforms for reverse switching high power p-i-n diodes

The interaction between high power p-i-n diodes and their driving circuit, during reverse bias switching, is investigated and a procedure for predicting the switching waveshapes is presented. In developing or completing existing relationships, the high shunting load capacitance and nonideal contributions of high-voltage and current driving transistor devices were taken into account. Due to voltage and current interdependence during the reverse voltage rise, an iterative calculating program is necessary to simplify the plotting. Using a driving circuit that provides a reverse current much higher than the forward bias current, recombination cannot be effective except in the beginning of the transition and switching takes place in a fraction of the lifetime of charge carriers in the i-layer. It is shown that the predicted waveshapes are in good agreement with the ones obtained experimentally.