Identifying and Mitigating the Problems in an Inverter Circuit due to Switching Spikes and Malfunction of IGBT/MOSFETs

Abstract

This research investigates the reasons for inverter building project failures. Most of the projects which are based on inverter circuit design fail due to switching spikes and/or malfunction of IGBT/MOSETs. This paper discusses the reasons for inverter circuit failures and propose some remedial actions to mitigate the identified problems. The problems created due to electromagnetic interference (EMI) can be handled during printed circuit board (PCB) developing stage through proper segregation of the components, managing PCB layers effectively and shielding jumper connecting wires between the circuits. A special protective circuit is developed to overcome the short circuiting of the IGBT/MOSFETs due to their malfunction. Designing an effective heat dissipation method (heat sink) is also addressed. The efficacy of the proposed methods to improve the reliability of the inverter circuit is experimentally verified through a hardware prototype of an inverter.