Exp No:

Date:
MOSFET SWITCHING CHARACTERISTICS

Prerequisite:
Simulation of MOSFET
switching
characteristics
using ORCAD completing
the following tasks.

1. Obtain the delay time, rise time and turn off delay time of
MOSFET IRF460 when switching a load resistance = 2.2
across VDS=24 V. Use a gate source pulses of 10 V amplitude
with rise and fall times of 10 ns. Choose 20 kHz switching
frequency with a duty ratio of 0.5. Use RG as specified in Fig. 9
(Refer figure 9)
2. Determine (a) on state power loss and ( b) switching loss of
MOSFET.
3. Study the effect of gate source resistance, R G (20 and 30 ) on
rise time and fall time of drain current and voltage with the
above load in simulation.

AIM:
For the MOSFET IRFP460
1. To obtain the switching characteristics of MOSFET in a hardware circuit with TON=60S,
Toff =1ms and draw the waveforms of VDS,VGS. Find the switching times (tri, tfi, td(on),td(off)).
2. To study the effect of gate source resistance, RG (20 and 30 ) on rise time and fall time of
drain current and voltage with the above load.
3. To determine (a) on state power loss and (b) switching loss of MOSFET in 1.
4. Compare the data sheet values of switching times of IRF460 with (a) hardware results (b)
Simulations results and write justification for the change in values.

COMPONENTS AND APPARATUS:S No:

1
2
3
4
5
6
7

ITEM DESCRIPTION
MOSFET IRFP460
Power Resistor (2.2,12W)
Resistors (1K,27,12)
Pulse generator
Capacitance(2200F)
Digital Storage Oscilloscope
Probe 1:1

QUANTITY
1
1
1 each
1
1
1
2

THEORY:A Power MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor) has three terminals
drain, source and gate .Circuit symbol and basic structure of MOSFET is shown in Figure 1.

SiO2

Figure 1 Basic structure and circuit symbol of MOSFET

In the circuit symbol the arrow indicates the direction of electron flow. MOSFET is a voltage
controlled device. As its operation depends upon the majority carrier flow only, MOSFET is a
unipolar device. The control signal required for MOSFET is very low. This is because of the fact
that gate circuit impedance of the MOSFET is high. Second breakdown problem is not there in
MOSFETs. Power MOSFETs find applications in low power high frequency converters.
Power MOSFET has lower switching losses but its on-state resistance and conduction
losses are more. At high frequency applications power MOSFET is usually used.

Structure and equivalent circuit:The basic structure of an Enhancement type MOSFET is shown in Figure (1). If VGS is positive,
an induced voltage attracts the electrons from the p-substrate and accumulates them at the surface
beneath the oxide layer. If VGS is equal to or greater than a value known as threshold voltage V T, a
sufficient number of electrons are accumulated to form a virtual n- channel and the current flows
from the drain to source. The Polarities VDS, IDS, VGS are reversed for a p-channel enhancementtype MOSFET. The p-n-junction forms an effective diode, called body diode in parallel with the
MOSFET channel. The symbol of MOSFET with body diode is shown in Figure (2).The body
diode becomes forward biased when VDS is negative. Several MOSFETS contain fast recovery
body diodes. The forward (MOSFET) and reverse (diode) ratings are different.

Figure 2.MOSFET with body diode

An important parameters that affect the MOSFET switching behavior are the parasitic
capacitances between the devices three terminals, namely, gate-to-source, Cgs, gate-to-drain
Cgd and drain-to-source (Cds) capacitances as shown in Figure (3).The values of these
capacitances are nonlinear and a function of device structure, geometry, and bias voltages.
During turn on, capacitors Cgd and Cgs must be charged through the gate, hence, the design of
the gate control circuit must take into consideration the variation in these capacitances. The
largest variation occurs in the gate-to-drain capacitance as the drain to- gate voltage varies.

Figure 3 Equivalent MOSFET representation including junction capacitors

Characteristics MOSFETS:1) Output Characteristics

In a MOSFET, the gate charge controls the flow of current from drain to the source The
output characteristics, drain current ID as a function of drain to source voltage VDS, with gate-tosource voltage VGS as a parameter are shown in Fig.(5) for an N-channel MOSFET. A test circuit to
determine output characteristics is shown in Fig. (5). The output characteristics for p-channel
device are same but lie in the third quadrant of ID-VDS plane.

Figure 4 Output Characteristics

Figure. 5 Test circuit for getting output Characteristics

In power electronic applications the MOSFET is used as a switch to control the flow of
power. The MOSFET traverses the ID-VDS characteristics from cutoff to the ohmic region through
the active region. The MOSFET is in cutoff region when the gate-source voltage is less than the
threshold voltage VGS(th). A typical value for VGS(th) = 3V In a switching circuit when the device
is cutoff, it must hold off the power supply voltage applied to the circuit. The device used must
have rated drain source breakdown voltage BVDSS larger than the circuit voltage it has to block, to
avoid breakdown and the attendant high device power dissipation.
When a large gate source voltage drives the device, it goes into the ohmic region, where
the drain source voltage and hence power dissipation in MOSFET is small.
In the active region the drain current is independent of drain source voltage and depends
on the gate- source voltage.

2) The Transfer Characteristics:A plot of i D versus vGS is called the transfer curve. It is shown in Figure (6). A test circuit to
determine output characteristics is shown in Figure.4. Up to v GS = VGS(th),id is parabolic but it is
very small in value. For vGS > VGS(th), the transfer curve is linear. The slope of the iD versus vGS curve
is called the transconductance gm. The drain current is given by gm (v GS-VGS(th) for vGS>VGS(th) .The
reciprocal of the slope of the iD versus vGS curve is called Drain-Source On Resistance rDS(on). The
on-state power loss of the device is estimated as I 2 * rDS(on) where I is the rms current through the
MOSFET.

Figure 6 .Transfer Characteristics

Transfer curve is used to determine the minimum gate-source voltage required to switch given
load across a source. For example if the MOSFET is required to carry a load current of I D1 in linear
region, VGS should be greater than VGS1 as shown in Figure 6. With higher values of v GS, the value of
rDS (on) is lower. Usually gate- source voltage larger than VGS1 are used to reduce the on state voltage
drop.

(3) Switching Characteristics:The drain current increases appreciably only after gate to source voltage increases above the
threshold voltage VGS(th) Drain current is a function on gate to source voltage, the drain current can
increase only as fast as gate to source voltage increases dependant on the rate at which the gate to
source equivalent capacitance is charged by the gate drive circuit. If the gate source resistance is
more of the MOSFET are determined essentially by the time required for the gate driver to charge
the equivalent input capacitance. Figure 7 shows the circuit setup for getting switching
characteristics and Figure 8 shows switching waveforms.

Figure 7. Circuit diagram for getting switching characteristics.

Figure 8.Switching waveforms

Four time intervals associated with switching transitions are usually stated in the data sheet of
power MOSFET. They are to be understood in relation to the waveforms of the switching control
voltage vGS and voltage across switch vDS. Typical waveforms are shown in Figure (8).The
specified time delays are defined as follows:

td(on)

turn ON delay: this is the time interval measured from the instant when the gate voltage
VGS has risen to 10% of its final value to the instant the drain voltage has fallen by 10%
of its initial OFF state value.
tr
rise time : this is the time interval during which V DS falls from 90% to 10% of its initial
OFF state value; during this time, the drain current rises between the
corresponding
limits.
td(off) turn OFF delay: this is the time interval during turn OFF switching from the instant
VGS has fallen to 90% of its ON state value to the instant V DS has risen to 10% of
its
final OFF value.
tf
fall time: this is the time during which V DS rises from 10% to 90% of its final OFF state
value; during this time, the drain current falls between the corresponding limits.
The turn ON time tON is defined as:
tON = td(on) +tr
The turn OFF time tOFF is defined as:
tOFF = td(off) + tr
ON state Power Loss = VDS (ON) x ID(ON ) x Duty ratio
Switching Power Loss= 2 x Area under power cure /Time

Figure 9 Circuit for Simulation

PROCEDURE:For Hardware circuit:
Make the connections as per the circuit diagram as shown in Figure (7) and verify the
connections.
1) Observe the gate signal from the pulse generator in the CRO and make the ON time of
the pulse is very small as compared to OFF time (Set TON=60S,Toff =1mS).
2) Apply the gate signal between gate resistance terminal and source.
3) Observe the Drain-Source voltage (VDS) and Gate-Source voltage (VGS) in the CRO.
4) Measure tr (rise time ) and tf (fall time) of the VDS and VGS
For Simulation:
1. Go to start menu select CAPTURE in ORCAD.

2. Select file menu from ORCAD and open the project.

3. Specify a project name and select the PSPICE part libraries that is needed for the project
to be implemented.
Switching characteristics:
1. Connect the circuit as given.
2. Place the voltage probe at the gate terminal and current probe at drain terminal.
3. Run the program and observe the waveform.
4. Expand the rising edge of current waveform and note down tr and td.
5. Expand the falling edge waveform and note down.
To find power loss:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Connect the circuit as given.

Place the voltage and current probes as drain terminal.
Go to add trace. Type the expression avg [ I(R1) * V1 (1:D)].
Observe the waveforms.

To find ON-state loss:

1. Expand voltage waveforms during on state of device and note down magnitude.
2. On state loss = current through MOSFET * Voltage across device * Duty rate.
RESULT:
From Data sheet
Turn ON delay (td(on) ) *
Rise time (tr) *
Turn OFF delay (td(off) )*
Fall time (tf) *
On state Power loss

(W)

NA

Switching Power loss (W)

NA

Total power loss

NA

(W)

*Mention the unit for the various switching times.

INFERENCE:
1.
2.
3.

By simulation

By Hardware circuit