• Any semiconductor has limits on how much voltage, how much current, and for how much time combinations of voltage and current can be supported in normal usage. • Sometimes that information is provided as part of the device’s datasheet, and sometimes that information is NOT provided. • In either case, though, there ARE limits which MUST be observed. • Any switching semiconductor device must address voltage and current issues. • Drive considerations aside, from the standpoint of “safe operating area” or SOA, the voltage Vds and the current Ids of a power MOSFET and the Vce and Ic of a bipolar transistor are at issue. • Please consider the following unwisely designed circuit in Figure 1 .
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