DESIGN OF SNUBBERS FOR POWER CIRCUITS By Rudy Severns What’s a snubber? Power semiconductors are the heart of power electronics equipment. Snubbers are circuits whichare placed across semiconductor devices for protection and to improve performance. Snubbers can domany things:·Reduce or eliminate voltage or current spikes·Limit dI/dt or dV/dt·Shape the load line to keep it within the safe operating area (SOA)·Transfer power dissipation from the switch to a resistor or a useful load·Reduce total losses due to switching·Reduce EMI by damping voltage and current ringing