All electronics & electrical engineers have studied about IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) during undergraduate course on electronic devices. But how many of us know who invented IGBTs? And what a tremendous impact this invention has on the world?

IGBT is a digital switch that switches energy very fast (hundreds of thousands of time a second), resulting in manifold increase in the efficiency of all digital equipments & computer hardware.

IGBT was invented by Indian Origin Scientist Dr. B. Jayant Baliga while working in General Electrical Research & Development Centre, New York. He claims that every equipment from your refrigerator to lights to motor vehicles has the need to use energy efficiently. If you take away the IGBT today, almost everything will come to a standstill. He further illustrated that every motor today is at least 40 percent more efficient, the CFL is 75 percent better and a motor vehicle saves over 10 percent fuel because of IGBTs.

His invention has possibly saved the world around the $24 trillion by raising energy efficiency.

Prof. B. Jayant Baliga; Photo via www.ncsu.edu

Dr. B. Jayant Baliga has been recently awarded Russia's top technology award. He was also awarded America's highest engineering prize in 2011 for the invention of IGBT.

IGBT is a minority-carrier device with high input impedance and large bipolar current-carrying capability. Many designers view IGBT as a device with MOS input characteristics and bipolar output characteristic. The IGBT transistor takes the best parts of these two types of transistors, the high input impedance and high switching speeds of a MOSFET with the low saturation voltage of a bipolar transistor. IGBT is a three terminal device as shown in the figure below. Also, you can see a simplified equivalent circuit of an IGBT.

IGBT - Electronic Symbol and Simplified Equivalent Circuit

The main advantages of using Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor over other types of transistor devices are its high voltage capability, low ON-resistance, ease of drive, relatively fast switching speeds and combined with zero gate drive current makes it a good choice for moderate speed, high voltage applications such as in pulse-width modulated (PWM), variable speed control, switch-mode power supplies or solar powered DC-AC inverter and frequency converter applications operating in the hundreds of kilohertz range.

About the Inventor

Dr. B. Jayant Baliga is an Indian Electrical Engineer who received his B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, in 1969, and his MS (1971) and PhD (1974) in Electrical Engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He worked 15 years at the General Electric Research and Development Center in Schenectady, New York where in 1980 he invented IGBT. Among the several awards & honors conferred to him, the two of the most notable ones are National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest award for an engineer in USA by US President Barack Obama in 2010 and Russia's top technology award presented by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2015.

By Sagar Juneja, Research Associate, Chitkara University

Refrences
1. http://www.americanbazaaronline.com/
2. http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/


Vol. 1, Issue 6, August 2015 Published by:- Chitkara University
Invention by Indian Scientist that has saved the world 24 trillion dollars All electronics & electrical engineers have studied about IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) during undergraduate course on electronic devices. But how many of us know who invented IGBTs? And what a tremendous impact this invention has on the world? IGBT is a digital switch that switches energy very fast (hundreds of thousands of time a second), resulting in manifold increase in the efficiency of all digital equipments & computer hardware. IGBT was invented by Indian Origin Scientist Dr. B. Jayant Baliga while working in General Electrical Research & Development Centre, New York. He claims that every equipment from your refrigerator to lights to motor vehicles has the need to use energy efficiently. If you take away the IGBT today, almost everything will come to a standstill. He further illustrated that every motor today is at least 40 percent more efficient, the CFL is 75 percent better and a motor vehicle saves over 10 percent fuel because of IGBTs. His invention has possibly saved the world around the $24 trillion by raising energy efficiency. Prof. B. Jayant Baliga; Photo via www.ncsu.edu Dr. B. Jayant Baliga has been recently awarded Russia's top technology award. He was also awarded America's highest engineering prize in 2011 for the invention of IGBT. IGBT is a minority-carrier device with high input impedance and large bipolar current-carrying capability. Many designers view IGBT as a device with MOS input characteristics and bipolar output characteristic. The IGBT transistor takes the best parts of these two types of transistors, the high input impedance and high switching speeds of a MOSFET with the low saturation voltage of a bipolar transistor. IGBT is a three terminal device as shown in the figure below. Also, you can see a simplified equivalent circuit of an IGBT. IGBT - Electronic Symbol and Simplified Equivalent Circuit The main advantages of using Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor over other types of transistor devices are its high voltage capability, low ON-resistance, ease of drive, relatively fast switching speeds and combined with zero gate drive current makes it a good choice for moderate speed, high voltage applications such as in pulse-width modulated (PWM), variable speed control, switch-mode power supplies or solar powered DC-AC inverter and frequency converter applications operating in the hundreds of kilohertz range. About the Inventor Dr. B. Jayant Baliga is an Indian Electrical Engineer who received his B.Tech in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, in 1969, and his MS (1971) and PhD (1974) in Electrical Engineering from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He worked 15 years at the General Electric Research and Development Center in Schenectady, New York where in 1980 he invented IGBT. Among the several awards & honors conferred to him, the two of the most notable ones are National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest award for an engineer in USA by US President Barack Obama in 2010 and Russia's top technology award presented by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2015. By Sagar Juneja, Research Associate, Chitkara University Refrences 1. http://www.americanbazaaronline.com/ 2. http://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/	Previous Issue A biodegradable Computer Chip Click here! Final Call For Registration Analog System Design Workshop (Aug 21-22) CLICK HERE to Know More New low power, 32 bit MCU from TI - MSP432 MSP432 Launchpad




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