CONTROL DEVICE FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE

When switching an operation mode from a stoichiometric mode to a lean mode, a rich spike that supplies excessive fuel relative to a theoretical air-fuel ratio is executed. If the temperature of the SCR is greater than or equal to an upper limit temperature at a time of the switching, after execution of the rich spike, the switching to the lean mode is executed after executing transient control that makes EGR rate higher than EGR rate in the lean mode and makes the incylinder air-fuel ratio an air-fuel ratio between the theoretical air-fuel ratio and the air-fuel ratio in the lean mode.