Hi all,

I’m developing the “SolarBeam Charger” ..... a compact solar USB charger prototype .... I’m currently designing the power stage that switches high currents from the solar panel to the battery. I’m stuck at whether to use MOSFET or IGBT ..... worked on MOSFET but never worked on IGBT. Read online but they dont have practical data:

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskElectronics/comments/wwgb1b https://www.unikeyic.com/blog/igbt-vs-mosfet.html

Project details:

• Input: 18–24V solar panel
• Output: 5V USB, up to 3A per port, multiple ports possible
• Switching frequency target: 50–100 kHz
• Efficiency is critical, as well as thermal management

My main questions:

1. At this voltage/current range, does a MOSFET outperform an IGBT in terms of efficiency and switching losses?
2. Are there scenarios where an IGBT would be preferable for a compact solar charger?
3. Any tips on PCB layout or thermal design when using either device type at this power level?

Thanks

 

Look at the on-state voltage drop of both devices when carrying the load current.
I think you will find the IGBT has a much higher drop than a MOSFET and thus will be less efficient.