What Are the Major Ratings and Acronyms for MOSFETs?

[edsys89]

Homework Statement

List the major device ratings for a MOSFET.

The Attempt at a Solution

Simple question yeah? Data sheets list about 20 ratings for each device, and they don't explain the acronyms. VBRDSS = Vegemite BReaD Salad Sandwich?

Can someone help me trim them down to the major ratings and give us a clue with the acronyms? Thanks heaps in advance.

 

[MATLABdude]

Where abouts are you in your electronics education? Have you learned about MOSFETs in much detail yet?

What I meant to say is that, without this background, knowing what the acronym means may not get you any further ahead. Additionally, what is the intended application? Different specs have different impacts depending on the application, as was mentioned in the first thread you posted. As an illustration, assume that the spec sheet for 'edsys89' states that you're 6' tall, and have brown hair. Which is more relevant when you're on the gameshow "Hole in the Wall"? How about when you're on the "Bachelorette" with someone who has a stated preference for blond-haired guys?

If you look through the datasheet for the part of interest (assuming you have a part in mind), most of the acronyms are usually expanded. For instance, a Google search for VBRDSS brings up the International Rectifier (IRF.com) site, along with some parts. By looking in the first datasheet, (IRF7425PBF) VBRDSS is the Voltage BReakdown Drain to Source--the maximum voltage between drain and source before the MOSFET breaks down (probably catastrophically).

If your homework is asking you to list a bunch of specs for a MOSFET, I'd say that you'd have to figure out what the stats actually mean.

 

[edsys89]

Where abouts are you in your electronics education? Have you learned about MOSFETs in much detail yet?

I'm doing a diploma in renewable energy from a technical college. I'm learning how the magic boxes with terminal screws on them regulate battery charging, convert 12/24V DC to 240 AC, convert 3 phase from a wind turbine to DC etc. I'm to learn briefly how the circuits work but not to the point of soldering boards or understanding quantum semiconductor theory.

What have I learned about MOSFETs?

MOSFET is an acronym for Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor. It consists of a gate terminal, a source and a drain terminal.
Voltage applied to the gate terminal creates an electric field changing the current flow between the source and the drain terminals.

So its like a transistor, except you need very little current to control it yeah?