Cryo-MOSFET and IGBT : a Comparison

Abstract
The preferred device for power eletronics in the multi-kilowatt /300-1000 V range is today the IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor). It may in the near future see an emerging strong competitor for certain suitable applications : The Cryo-MOSFET. This paper compares the main properties of these two devices. It demonstrates that the Cryo-MOSFET in combination with high-temperature superconductors (HTS) can do to the field of power electronics what integrated circuit (IC) technology has done to the computer and communication industry : The ultimate in size, weight and cost reduction. The Cryo-MOS technology is based on the fact that the on-resistance of high-voltage devices decreases dramatically at cryogenic temperatures. This is due to the majority carrier mobility increase in the drain-source drift region. The on-state conduction losses in high-power switch-mode circuits can then be made as small as desirable by paralleling, because MOSFETs as ohmic devices do not exhibit an on-state threshold voltage as the IGBT, the MCT, the GTO, etc.