A special group of elements known as semiconductors has conductivities that fall between those of an

insulator and a good conductor. Germanium, Silicon, and Gallium Arsenide are the three semiconductors
that are used most often in the creation of electrical devices. A semiconductor material that has been
subjected to the doping process is called an extrinsic material. Extrinsic semiconductor materials come in
two different types: n-type materials and p-type materials. A semiconductor diode is produced by fusing
together n-type and p-type materials. When the two materials are linked, the electrons and holes in the
junction area merge, leaving the area around the junction devoid of free carriers. Due to the "depletion"
of free carriers in the region, this area of exposed positive and negative ions is known as the "depletion
region." Reverse-biasing the diode widens the depletion region.

Semiconductor devices comes in different types. We have Power Diodes, MOSFET, BJT, IGBT, and
Thyristors. These semiconductors can act as a switching element in a circuit, each of them has switching
characteristics. In a diode, the reverse recovery time is defined as the time between when the recovery
current flows and when it decreases. The greater the forward current, the longer the reverse recovery
time. Due to the recovery current generates noise and power loss, the shorter the reverse recovery time,
the better the characteristics. In a MOSFET, internal capacitance and internal impedance of the gate drive
circuit have an impact on turn-on and turn-off times, but not during steady-state operation. BJTs, on the
other hand, have high switching frequencies due to their quick turn-on and turn-off times. A BJT
experiences small turn-on losses. Since base drive control can be used, BJT has controlled turn-on and
turn-off characteristics. Commutation circuits are not needed for BJT. IGBT was created by integrating the
best attributes of both BJT and Power MOSFET; as a result, it has low ON-state power losses like a BJT and
high input impedance like a PMOSFET. In a thyristor, A thyristor is subjected to varying voltages across it
and varying currents through it during the turn on and turn off processes. The switching characteristics of
a thyristor are determined by the periodic changes in the voltage across it and the current flowing through
it during turn on and turn off.

The challenge in building these power semiconductors is to achieve a high breakdown voltage while
keeping a low forward voltage drop and on-resistance. In a p-n junction device, such as diode, obtaining a
high breakdown voltage requires low doping concentration. A lightly doped p-n junction increases the
width of depletion region thus increases the breakdown voltage. However, lightly doped p-n junction
device is highly resistive which affects the on-resistance of the device.

There are still many factors other than breakdown voltage and on-resistance that should be considered to
achieve an efficient semiconductor device. Nowadays, power semiconductor devices are fabricated using
modern processing techniques, resulting in a much more efficient device, and making unwanted elements
less significant.

During my second year of college, a few semiconductor devices, such as diodes and BJTs, were discussed
in our Electronic Circuits subject. Because of that, I have little knowledge about the said electronic
components. Now that I am a third-year college student studying industrial electronics, there are
electronic components that are new to me, such as MOSFETs, IGBTs, and thyristors. For me, I wouldn’t be
able to understand them much without someone who knows more about them to teach.

Understanding this power semiconductor design is not easy since it requires a deep understanding of the
physics, chemistry, and mechanics of the device. Upon reading the text about power semiconductor
devices, all that I understand is that diodes, MOSFETs, BJTs, IGBTs, and thyristors are made up of doped
semiconductor materials, and they come in different ratings depending on where they are made and used.

At last, I hope that in future discussions, these semiconductor things will be explained in detail.