Real-Time Measurement of IGBT's Operating Temperature

Temperature management and control are among the most critical functions in power electronic devices. Knowledge of power semiconductor’s operating temperature is important for circuit design, as well as for converter control. Virtual junction temperature measurement or estimation is not an easy task, therefore designing the appropriate circuitry for virtual junction temperature in the real operating conditions not affecting regular circuit operation is a demanding task for engineers. The proposed method enables virtual junction temperature estimation based on the real-time measurement of semiconductor’s quasi-threshold voltage using dedicated modified gate driver circuit.