15/08/2025 5:33 am
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I’m in my first year of engineering and trying to learn about different power switching components. I’ve read about MOSFETs and IGBTs, but the explanations I’ve found online are often confusing and sometimes contradictory.
Can anyone help me understand the difference clearly?
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18/08/2025 5:24 am
You see MOSFETs and IGBTs are used as power switching devices, but they are optimized for different conditions. MOSFETs are generally preferred in low to medium voltage applications (up to a few hundred volts) because they switch very fast and have low conduction losses at these voltage levels.
This makes them ideal for circuits that require high-frequency switching, such as DC-DC converters, SMPS, and motor drivers.
On the other hand, IGBTs are better suited for high voltage and high current applications, often above 400V, where MOSFETs become less efficient.
While IGBTs switch slower compared to MOSFETs, they handle higher voltages with lower conduction losses, which is why they are commonly used in industrial motor drives, electric vehicle inverters, and other high-power converters.
In simple terms, MOSFETs are chosen for speed and efficiency at lower voltages, while IGBTs are chosen for handling large amounts of power at higher voltages where switching speed is less critical.
