3. Physical characteristics

3.1 Performance targets

Despite the apparent simplicity of the function, the characterization of a power component and the evaluation of the stresses it generates or undergoes are therefore not limited to the indication of blocked voltage or current levels, but involve many other quantities: control levels, durations of successive switching phases, rates of change dI/dt and dV /dt of current and voltage, etc., not forgetting the hidden quantity that is crystal temperature.

It's the search for structural features and manufacturing technologies that enable us to control these characteristics and resolve the trade-offs between often contradictory performance requirements that give power semiconductor components their real specificity.

The...