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Application Note
How to Design an Rg Resistor for a Vishay Trench PT IGBT
By Carmelo Sanfilippo and Filippo Crudelini
INTRODUCTION
In low-switching-frequency applications like DC/AC stages for TIG welding equipment, the slow leg of a solar inverter, or a
low-frequency converting structure where the maximum frequency is around 2 kHz, the IGBT has to guarantee the lowest
possible conduction losses without switching losses affecting the device’s overall efficiency. Historically, these requirements
have been fulfilled using the well-consolidated planar Punch Through (PT) IGBT technology.
In response to an increasing demand for efficiency in the applications mentioned above, Vishay recently released a new
technology approach that combines the benefits of a PT design with the advantages of a new MOS Trench structure. The overall
electrical performances of the resulting PT Trench IGBT structure are further enhanced with an optimized lifetime killing
technology.
Fig. 1 provides a comparison between a conventional planar PT IGBT unit cell with a planar MOS front-end and a Vishay PT
Trench IGBT unit with a MOS cell made using the new technologies.
(a)
(b)
Emitter
Gate
A
(c)
Emitter
A’
Stripe Topology
(d)
n-Buffer
n-Buffer
p- Emitter
Unit Cell AA’
Planar Cellular Cell
Collector
Collector
Fig. 1
PT Trench IGBT unit cell structure (a), cell topography, and cell cross section (b) compared with a planar PT unit cell structure
(c) and cell topography (d). 
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How to Design an Rg Resistor for a Vishay Trench PT IGBT
Vishay’s PT Trench IGBT technology achieves a significant improvement in overall performance by implementing these features:
• Faster turn-off capability due to the high hole confinement achieved by adopting the Trench MOS structure for the device’s
front-end. This design aspect allows for efficient hole accumulation close to the device’s base junction, where the carrier has
a quicker response during device turn-off.
• Lower VCE(sat) due to high cell density, an optimized doping profile, and lifetime killing technology.
• Device robustness due to an optimized doping profile and lifetime killing process.
PT Trench IGBT technology is capable of guaranteeing a maximum junction temperature of +150 °C, showing a temperature
coefficient for the main electrical parameters that is comparable with planar IGBT technology. The MOS Trench structure of the
device’s front-end leads to different Cge, Crss capacitance, and dynamic behavior compared to planar devices, and these
differences need to be taken into consideration when using a PT Trench IGBT.
CALCULATING THE GATE RESISTOR
The gate driver circuit is made from a driver with an internal resistance, the connection between the driver circuit and the power
module (twisted wire or PCB), and the internal layout of the IGBT module (internal connection, wire bonding, or chip in parallel).
The connection between the driver and IGBT terminal is a second-order circuit because it has an inductance and the gate of
the IGBT does not have a negligible capacitance. A simplified electric model of the circuit is show in Fig. 2.
Driver
Driver
EQ IGBT
Rg
Wire Inductance
Module Inductance
RDriver 1
IGBT
Rg
Stray Inductance
RDriver
Ciss1
Ciss
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
The gate driver usually has low series resistance and negligible inductance if the output stage is a transistor output. If the output
is a pulse transformer, the inductance must be evaluated and taken into account.
The connection between the gate driver and IGBT can be a wire or PCB, as show in Fig. 4. The inductance of wire connections
varies by the type of cable, the number of twists per inch, diameter, length, etc. For PCB connections, stray inductance varies
by the track layout.
SOT-227
SOT-227b
DIAP
In addition, at the external inductance there is internal inductance of the module due to the connection between the gate
terminal and gate pad on the IGBT chip.
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Fig. 4
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How to Design an Rg Resistor for a Vishay Trench PT IGBT
The following table indicates the internal inductance of the modules where PT IGBT chips are mounted.
TABLE 1
LS MODULE
GP250
12
GP100
30
GP300
87
GP400
114

This internal inductance is the equivalent of the inductance in-series at the gate-emitter connection, and is a function of the
dimensions of the module.
The GP250 is a SOT-227 device with a very short gate-emitter connection and has a low inductance compared to the GP400,
which is a larger DIAP module with several chips in parallel and a large gate connection.
To perform a practical evaluation of a gate circuit, consider a gate mesh circuit equivalent to that in Fig. 3, where it is possible
to add up the values of the elements in series.
The VGE voltage that switches the IGBT on and off is the voltage across a capacitor, Ciss, of the LC series circuit. This can be a
problem because if the Q of the circuit is larger than 1, there will be oscillation on the VGE that is not acceptable in certain cases.
The Q of the circuit is a function of Lstray, Ciss, and Rg.
Lstray is related to the layout of the circuit, the driver, and the connection between the driver and IGBT.
The driver and gate connection has a very different inductance value, as a function of the layout, but it is a fixed value within
the working conditions of the circuit.
The Ciss is the capacitance seen from the gate pin, which is the sum of internal capacitance Cge and Cgc. This capacitance
changes with the VGE, VCE, and temperature. Fig. 5 shows the behavior of the Ciss, Crss, and Coss as functions of the VCE.
1000
GP100TS60
Capacitance (nF)
Ciss
Collector
100
Cgc
Cce
Coss
Gate
10
Crss
Cge
1
Emitter
10
100
1000
VCE (V)
Fig. 6
Fig. 5 - Ciss = Cge + Cgc, Crss = Cgc, Coss = Cce + Cgc

Fig. 5 shows the capacitance of the GP100TS60, a large single-die device in the IAP. The capacitance varies with voltage and
temperature, so evaluating the correct Rg value for the circuit in all conditions requires a field test.
A preliminary evaluation of Rg is possible, using the following formula, if there is an estimation of stray inductance:
L straymodule + L gate cable
R g = 1.2 ------------------------------------------------------------------ C iss at V CE = 0 V 
1
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How to Design an Rg Resistor for a Vishay Trench PT IGBT
This value of Rg can be used as a first value for testing in the circuit. The final value can be fixed as a function of the different
requirements in the circuit.
As an example we consider a circuit made with the GP100TS60. The module is connected to the driver with a twisted pair cable
that is 25 cm long.
Fig. 7
The twisted pair cable (3 turn / cm) has a total inductance of 230 nH. The internal inductance of the module is 30 nH. The IGBT
Ciss is 33 nF at VCE = 0 V.
Using the formula (1) discussed above, we can determine that the Rg value is ≈ 3.3 . This number is the initial value that can
be used in a circuit for the preliminary test.
In a practical case the real inductance of the cable is only estimated or is unknown. The Ciss changes in respect to the operating
conditions, so a field test is necessary to optimize the Rg, especially because Rg not only dumps the mesh gate but can control
dl/dt and dV/dt - changing overshot and noise.
In the real circuit there are three common situations. The first is a large Rg with the gate signal behavior shown in Fig. 8. Here,
the device is the GP100TS60 with Rg = 10  and a 25 cm twisted pair cable. The C4 green track is the IG, and the C1 blue track
is the VGE measured on the gate terminal as close as possible to the module. C2 cyan track VCE is equal to 0 because only the
effect of Cge is considered.
This condition guarantees a smooth transition and that the voltage VGE does not exceed the plateau limit. During turn-on the
current flows only in a positive direction, and during turn-off it only flows in a negative direction.
The advantage of this kind of driving circuit is that the noise is very low, and a low current is required from the driver. The
disadvantage is that Eon and Eoff are not the minimum.
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The second situation is a circuit with Q ≈ 1, as show in Fig. 9. Here, the device is the GP100TS60 with Rg = 3.4  and 25 cm
twisted pair cable. The C4 green track is the IG, and the C1 blue track is the VGE measured on the gate terminal as close as
possible to the module. C2 VCE is equal to 0 because only the effect of Cge is considered.
Fig. 9
This condition is the best compromise between noise and speed. The advantage of this kind of driving circuit is that Eon and
Eoff are at a minimum. The disadvantage is that more current is required from the driver.
In the third situation, the Rg gives a circuit with Q > 1, as show in Fig. 10. The device is the GP100TS60 with Rg = 1  and
25 cm twisted pair cable. The C4 green track is the IG, and the C1 blue track is the VGE measured on the gate terminal as close
as possible to the module. C2 VCE is equal to 0 because only the effect of Cge is considered.
Fig. 10
This condition must be avoided because it does not provide lower switching losses, and if the secondary peak of VGE oscillation
becomes larger than the VGE(th), the IGBT can go into a linear zone during oscillation and the large dissipated energy can induce
a failure due to high TJ.
In these three situations, the data matches well with the theory because the value of Ciss is quite constant and the RLC network
model is good. If VCE varies, however, the results are different. In the following three situations and figures, we use the same
IGBT with the same Rg as before, but with a 400 VDC bus and a switching inductive load.

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There is a voltage overshoot that is tolerated from the device. The maximum voltage on the gate for an infinite time is limited to
± 20 V, but for a short time (< 1 μs) a voltage of ± 25 V can be applied. The VGE voltage shows a ringing and IG current flow
during turn-on and turn-off times in the positive and negative directions.
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The first situation is a large Rg with gate signal behavior, as shown in Fig. 11. The device is the GP100TS60 with Rg = 10  and
25 cm twisted pair cable. The C4 green track is the IG, C1 blue track is the VGE, C2 light blue is the VCE, and C3 purple is the IC.
Fig. 11
This condition guarantees a smooth transition and that the VGE does not exceed the positive and negative plateau limit. The
IRRM induced in the freewheeling diode is very low. The switching current is 120 A and the peak at the turn-on is 150 A, meaning
that the IRRM of the diode is only 30 A.
Now, with a large VCE, there are evident effects due to the Crss on the gate voltage. The Miller plateau in a high-voltage device
is different from the effects that are usually expected in low-voltage devices like power MOSFETs.
VCE
IC
VDS fall for
low voltage MOSFETs
VGE(th)
VCE fall for
PT IGBT
VGE
t0
t1
t2
t3
t4
Time
Fig. 12 shows a comparison between a high-voltage Trench device and the behavior of a low-voltage MOSFET.
The behavior of VCE is magnified to clarify the effect.
Soft VCE voltage is normal during transition and it is almost invisible. It is less than 10 V to 15 V with time ≈ 400 ns and it is a
normal behavior that is not usually due to poor driving. If VCE show higher level and longer time the VGE is usually poor and it
has oscillation that is the signature of improper gate driving.
By applying the Miller theorem, a simple approximation of Ciss can be written as:
Ciss (VGE, VCE) = Cge (VGE) + Crss (VCE)(1 + AV (ICE, VCE, VGE)
In a low-voltage device there is a large AV during the voltage transition. This is also true in a high-voltage device, but Crss is
small, so the maximum of the product Crss (VCE) 1 + (AV (ICE, VCE, VGE)) is when VCE is around 20 V to 30 V.
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Fig. 12
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This effect changes the switching evolution. The real required Qg is higher than the Qg estimated from the capacitance. For this
reason it is better use the Qg data in the datasheet to evaluate the required power for the driver.
During the turn-off transition, it is possible to see two different slopes in the current IC. In the first portion of current transition,
the IC drops quickly with a voltage overshoot. The peak arrives at 530 V; this is the MOSFET transition. The second portion is
an exponential decay typical of bipolar recombination and does not produce any overshoot.
In the second situation, the Rg gives an input circuit with Q ≈ 1 as shown in Fig. 13. The device is the GP100TS60 with
Rg = 3.4  and a 25 cm twisted pair cable. The C4 green track is the IG, C1 blue track is the VGE, C2 light blue is the VCE, and
C3 purple is the IC.
Fig. 13
Here, the IG current does not show oscillation. During turn-on the current flow is only in a positive direction, and only in a
negative direction during turn-off. This means that the VGE is strictly increasing or strictly decreasing.
The IGBT stays in a linear zone only for the minimum time, the losses due to multiple transitions are avoided, and VCE is as low
as possible.
The IRRM induced in the freewheeling diode in this configuration is higher. The switching current is 120 A and the peak at
turn-on is 182 A. This means that the IRRM of the diode is 62 A, but that the Eon losses are smaller because time is shorter. The
peak of the IG current is higher but the Qg is similar, because the required charge for turn-on and turn-off is not strongly
dependent on Rg.
Usually, the peak current in the driver is evaluated as
V CC –  V EE – V DR 
I G max. = -----------------------------------------------2
Rg
V CC –  V EE – V DR 
I G max. = -----------------------------------------------2 x Rg
At the normal max. switching frequency of 1 kHz to 2 kHz, the required power is very low due to 2 x Qg x fsw being very low.
Also in this case, the behavior at turn-off shows a double slope. The first portion of current transition of the IC drops quickly,
inducing an overshoot peak that arrives at 570 V. The MOSFET transition and electric field recovery are heavily influenced by
the Rg; with Rg = 10  to Rg = 3.4 , the overvoltage peak pass is from 530 V to 570 V. The second portion is an exponential
decay of bipolar recombination that is quite independent from the Rg, so it does not change the behavior much.
The disadvantage here is that the voltage overshoot is higher, but that is not an issue for this device. Instead, it is the high dl/dt
and dV/dt that can be a problem in terms of EMI. In regards to turn-off losses, the difference in Eoff between devices that are
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Using this formula in this configuration with VCC = 18 V, VEE = 0 V, VDR = 1 V (VCC is the positive supply voltage of the driver,
VEE is the negative supply voltage of the driver, and VDR is the voltage drop for the driver), and Rg = 3.4 , the formula (2) gives
a maximum IG of 5 A. As is possible to see from Fig. 13, the IG peak is -2.3 A. This is because the formula (2) considers only the
resistive part of the gate mesh that is a very worst case scenario, like removing the module, or the wire from the driver, and
closing the driver on a short circuit. This consideration leads to choosing an oversized driver that is not required for this kind of
application.
Usually when the Q of an RLC network is ≈ 1, it is possible to choose a driver that has:
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driven with Rg = 10  and Rg = 3.4  is negligible; the reduction of Rg does not give a particular advantage in terms of switching
losses. This explains how it is possible use a different Rg to change the dl/dt and dV/dt to solve the EMI problem without
modifying the layout of the circuit.
If we consider turn-on, reducing the Rg decreases the Eon losses. For example, the GP100TS60 with an Eon of Rg = 10  gives
7.3 mJ of losses for each commutation. Compared to an Eon of Rg = 3.4  with 4.8 mJ of losses, the gain is huge.
If we think that a reasonable maximum switching frequency can be 2 kHz, the gain in terms of power is 5 W. For a device that
handles 120 A, this is a small portion of the total losses.
In regards to turn-off, the Eoff difference between a device that is driven with Rg = 10  and Rg = 3.4  is negligible; the same
reduction in Rg does not give a particular advantage in terms of switching losses.
This explains how it is possible to use a different Rg to change the dl/dt and dV/dt to solve the EMI problem without modifying
the layout.
In the third situation, the Rg provides a circuit with Q > 1, as show in Fig. 14. The device is the GP100TS60 with Rg = 1  and a
25 cm twisted pair cable. The C4 green track is the IG, C1 blue track is the VGE measured on the gate terminal as close as
possible to the module, C2 light blue is the VCE, and C3 purple is the IC.
Fig. 14
The IG current shows an oscillation during turn-on and turn-off, with the current flowing in a positive and negative direction. This
behavior is reflected in an oscillation of the VGE, which can be tolerated if the level of VGE guarantees the state of the IGBT.
Guaranteeing the state of the IGBT means that the VGE voltage is high enough to assure a low VCE when the IGBT is on, and
low enough to assure a negligible IC when the IGBT is off.
In Fig. 15, which it is an enlargement of the left side of Fig. 14, two kinds of oscillation are present. The first is due to ringing on
the gate from too low Rg (compared with the VGE voltage in Fig. 10), and the second is noise due to the ringing on VCE produced
by the quick recovery of the diode induced from the very high dl/dt.
Envelope of VGE
Incompletely closed IGBT due to low
VGE
Fig. 15
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VGE level that guarantees IGBT closed
with 120 A
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The high-frequency noise has a short period of < 25 ns, which is shorter than the td of the IGBT. For this reason, the modulation
of conduction is negligible and the quick variation of VCE is due to high-frequency current on the stray inductance of the module.
The average value of VCE, which shows a sort of tail, demonstrates the low value of VGE to carry 120 A. However, as is underlined
in the instantaneous power (M-channel red track), the energy dissipated during this time is a small portion of the total energy.
There is a slow variation of VGE after the turn-on change, but the value of VGE does not go under the level that guarantees low
VCE. At the time indicated from the vertical slotted line, the local minimum is higher than 15 V.
If the oscillation of VGE becomes greater, the IGBT could have a poor VCE, which increases the losses that add to the Eoff. For
this reason, a suggested VGE is around 18 V instead of the typical 15 V. 15 V is a good value, but must be guaranteed in any
condition. If there is any doubt about the ability to guarantee 15 V in any condition, it is better to use a VGE of 18 V or more. PT
IGBT technology can work fine with VGE near 20 V, and for a short time values of ± 25 V are safe.
Analyzing the turn-off in Fig. 14, we can see that oscillations on the current are longer and the Q of the circuit at turn-off is higher
than at turn-on. This effect is due to the non-linear behavior of Ciss with the VCE. For comparison, in Fig. 10 turn-on and turn-off
are very similar because the VCE is zero. Also in this case, it is possible to see two different kinds of oscillation. The
lowest-frequency oscillation is related to the RLC circuit in the gate mesh. The quick oscillation in reality is noise due to the
projection of VCE on VGE through the Crss.
30
20
10
0
-10
-20
-30
-0.50
-0.45
Time (μs)
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
0
-100
-0.40
Collector paramter VCE V IC A
Gate parameter VGE V IG A
GP100TS60 Turn Off
VGE CH1
IG CH4
VCE CH2
IC CH3
Fig. 16
In Fig. 16 there is an enlargement of Fig. 14. The slow oscillation carries the VGE at a voltage lower than zero, which is not an
issue but helps to switch off the MOSFET quickly, resulting in an overshoot of 580 V.
After the negative VGE rise at a positive value, which can put the IGBT in conduction, a cross conduction of the IGBT leg with
large dissipated energy can be produced.
To avoid this effect, it is usually better to drive the IGBT with a VGE of negative value, but the PT Trench device does not require
this feature on the driver in a normal condition. The real threshold voltage is high enough to guarantee a good margin and avoid
cross conduction. This simplifies the design of the driver and avoids a negative voltage supply.
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1.4
VGE(th)
TJ = 125 °C
TJ = 25 °C
TJ = -40 °C
1.2
1.0
IC (A)
0.8
0.6
0.4
0.2
0
-0.2
0
2
4
6
8
10
VGE (V)
Fig. 17
An IC around 1 A is not an issue for a short time (500 ns to 1000 ns) because the related energy is not too large. From this number
with the data in Fig. 17, which shows the VGE(th) voltage, it is possible to evaluate the critical value of VGE. For an IC of 1 A at high
temperature, the VGE is around 5 V. If the VGE ringing is lower than this value, the PT IGBT does not show a false turn-on or cross
conduction problem. In Fig. 16, the maximum VGE after commutation is around 3 V, which is a safe value.
At lower temperatures the margin is higher and the necessity for a negative VGE is completely avoided. Note that in Fig. 17, the
problem is not guaranteeing the off state at a low temperature, but having VGE high enough to guarantee a low VCE when the
IGBT is in the on state after turn-on. For this reason as well, a VGE larger than 15 V is often preferred.
In Fig. 16 there is a spike on VGE voltage due to the quick variation on VCE. During turn-off the gate mesh must be extended at
Crss because the current from the Crss capacitor could be comparable with the current from the driver.
C
Driver
RDriver 2
Rg1
LS
Cgc
IGBT1
Cge
Fig. 18
Fig. 18 shows a simplified circuit of an IGBT during turn-off. When VCE increases, the Cgc capacitor requires a current that flows
V GE - V DR
in the gate node, increasing the VGE because the current drained from the driver is I RG1  ------------------------------------------ and the current that
2  R g1 + R Driver 
dV CE
arrives from the Cgc is I Cgc  C gc  V CE  -------------- . VGE is usually negligible compared with VCE, so VCG ≈ VCE.
dt
dV CE
At a high VCE, the Crss is small but -------------- is very high. The current IRg1 during this transient is quite constant, because it is forced
dt
from the inductance LS. So the value of VGE is defined by the ratio between Cgc and Cge.
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Reducing the Rg can help to keep control of the VGE, but reducing Rg could produce oscillation due to the high Q factor of the
RLC circuit. One simple solution if the connection between the driver and IGBT is long and has large inductance is to place a
small capacitor in parallel at the gate.
C
Driver
RDriver 3
Rg2
Cgc1
LS1
IGBT2
Cgaux
Cge1
E
Fig. 19
Fig. 19 shows the gate circuit with the auxiliary capacitor Cgaux, which must be mounted near the module or any inductance
between the gate connection and the capacitor reduces its effect. The initial value of Cgaux can be equal to the value of Ciss at
VCE without overshoot (substantially the DC bus value) or 15 % of Ciss at VCE = 0 V. The Rg must be revised with the same
procedure at the formula (1), with the difference being that Ciss is now:
L straymodule + L gate cable
C iss +  C gaux x R g  = 1.2 --------------------------------------------------------------------C iss at V CE = 0 V + C gaux
3
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CONCLUSION
The optimum Rg value for an application must take into account the working conditions and the trade off between efficiency
and noise. In any case, the third condition presented in this application note must be avoided, and a signal with behavior similar
to the VGE in Fig. 9 will give the best compromise between noise and switching losses. The third condition could reduce
switching losses, but in a situation where switching losses are the small portion of global losses, the advantages in term of
efficiency are negligible.
If there is noise induced from too high dV/dt or dl/dt, it is possible to control it with Rg.
The behavior of the IGBT during switching can be changed by choosing the right value of Rg and dV/dt across the CE terminal.
If the Rg required is too large and the dVCE/dt injects noise at the gate, a small capacitor can be placed in parallel near the gate
terminal. Usually VCE(t) changes with the Rg of an IGBT, but if the IGBT works in a circuit with soft switching, it is possible to
control dl/dt and dV/dt independently from the Rg.
In general, there is feedback from the collector to the emitter between the Cgc that changes the real VGE across the gate of the
IGBT. In this case, there are not general rules. Any circuit requires the appropriate value of Rg based on the required
characteristic.
The behavior of the IGBT during turn-on and turn-off can be controlled through the Rg. The VCE overshoot can be controlled
with Rg off, while the peak of IRRM in the diode can be controlled with Rg on. Many other parameters are influenced by Rg, as
shown in Table 2.
Eon
Eoff
Turn on Ipk
Diode IRRM
dV/dt
dI/dt
Voltage overshot
EMI noise
      
Erec
      
td(off)

td(on)
Rg
   
Rg

RATING / CHARACTERISTICS
   
TABLE 2

The target of a good design is to obtain the highest efficiency but also have the right margin in terms of VCE and to respect
EMI limits.
APPLICATION NOTE
Revision: 17-May-16
Document Number: 95690
12
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