A comparative study of high voltage (4 kV) power rectifiers PiN/MPS/SSD/SPEED

This paper provides for the first time a comparative experimental study of different high voltage power rectifier structures designed based on the anode injection efficiency control concept. Trade-off curves of peak reverse current density, reverse recovery charge extracted and reverse dJ/dt versus forward voltage drop showed the merged PiN-Schottky (MPS), self-adapting P-emitter diode (SPEED), and static shielding diode (SSD) rectifiers to have far superior switching characteristics when compared to conventional PiN diodes. The uniform carrier distribution observed in the MPS/SPEED/SSD rectifiers leads to a universal trade-off curve in anode injection efficiency control diodes that is inherently superior to that obtained through lifetime control techniques. The SPEED rectifier is most attractive for high voltage applications due to its low reverse leakage current, while the MPS rectifier provides an excellent alternative to the high voltage PiN diode due to the identical fabrication process and its superior switching characteristics