IGBT vs. MOSFET

A lot will depend on the final application. In the murky, oily world of motor and drives there is no need to have high frequency switching. Due to this there is not the need to use fast devices such as MOSFETs. Yes IGBTs have higher switch losses (mainly due to the tail current) but the short circuit capability will outweigh the disadvantages. The current density of an IGBT is higher so the conduction losses are reduced. This and the fact that you can match your preferred diode helps to ensure the best performance compromise.

As to why IGBTs are not used in PFC? It would appear that there are not many suppliers with IGBTs tuned for high frequency operation. Perhaps this has been lead by industry thinking, high frequency = MOSFET, Low frequency = IGBT. Perhaps if some more work were done to look at using IGBTs in PFC etc there would a higher demand and hence lower cost.

Personally I think that there are clear areas where the MOSFET is superior over the IGBT and vice versa. There are some areas where designers assume that the MOSFET will be best, however perhaps we all should be looking at the humble IGBT and doing a bit more digging and analysis to see if they provide a cheaper total solution in the areas where the MOSFET is currently used.