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In today's VSC HVDC solutions, IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) are used exclusively, generally in module form where the Modular Multilevel C o n v e r t e r ( M M C ) i s c o n c e r n e d ; t h i s e n t a i l s a n u m b e r o f protective measures which increases complexity and cost. As w e m o v e t o h i g h e r t r a n s m i t t e d p o w e r s , t h e u s e o f I G C T s (Integrated Gate-Commutated Thyristors) would allow both higher voltages and currents while simultaneously reducing l o s s e s , f a i l u r e r a t e s a n d c o s t s , a s t h i s p a p e r w i l l t r y t o demonstrate by comparing current production IGCTS with both current module and press-pack IGBTs. Index Terms-HVDC transmission, Power semiconductor devices, Thermal analysis, AC-DC power converters, MMC2168-6777 (c)

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As we prepare to enter the 21 st Century we stand on the threshold of a Power Electronics Revolution. The last 50 years have seen the growth of power conversion to the point at which today about 15% of the electric power produced undergoes some form of electronic conversion. However, most of this occurs at the "consumer end" of the supply chain from battery chargers to locomotives. Although HVDC transmission has exploited line-commutated power electronics for the past three decades, it is the 1990s which have witnessed the commissioning of self-commutated power electronics at the transmission level. Developments in semiconductors and their packaging technology will drive power electronics into distribution applications as device efficiency and reliability increases whilst the cost of the switched megawatt falls. The key semiconductors enabling this predicted transition will be reviewed and the anticipated demands of system builders on device suppliers discussed.