Gate driver

About: Gate driver is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 7532 publications have been published within this topic receiving 75854 citations.

Common Mode Noise Analysis for Cascaded Boost Converter With Silicon Carbide Devices

Abstract: In the paper, an electromagnetic interference (EMI) model for a two-stage cascaded boost converter is presented to distinguish its noise sources. To illustrate the effects of switching speeds on EMI generation potential, the relationships between the time domain and the frequency domain with all-SiC and SiC–Si device combinations are provided. It is found that the voltage ripples and spikes at turn-OFF generate common mode (CM) noise in the high-frequency range, above the cutoff frequency determined by the short switching time of the SiC MOSFET. Several methods are presented for minimizing the noise sources using a ferrite bead and a modified gate driver. Experimental measurements of SiC switching waveforms and CM EMI taken from a 600-W prototype two-stage cascaded boost converter operating at 100 kHz are presented to validate the CM noise analysis.

Control of the switching transients of IGBT series strings by high-performance drive units

Abstract: In the field of power electronics, the use of series-connected insulated gate devices, such as insulated gate bipolar transistors or power MOSFETs, is interesting in order to obtain fast and efficient power switches in medium-range power converters. In this kind of application, the control of the voltage sharing across the series strings of devices is an important aspect to be considered. The proposed technique allows obtaining safe commutations of the switches by simple and effective control circuits acting on the gate side of the power devices. In particular, the gate drive units are arranged in order to ensure good performance during the switching transients, while preventing overvoltage peaks on the devices. Both the design criteria and analysis of the control circuit are developed. Several experimental tests are reported in order to demonstrate the validity and correctness of the proposed approach.

Design considerations and performance evaluation of 1200 V, 100 a SiC MOSFET based converter for high power density application

Abstract: Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFET is capable of achieving better efficiency, power density and reliability of power converters due to its low on-state resistance, high temperature operation capability and lower switching losses compared to silicon (Si) IGBT. Operation of power converters at higher switching frequency using SiC devices allows reduction in filter size and hence improves the power to weight ratio of the converter. This paper presents switching characterization of 1200 V, 100 A SiC MOSFET module and compares efficiency of a Two Level Voltage Source Converter (2L-VSC) using SiC MOSFETs and Si IGBTs. Also, various design considerations of the 1200 V, 100 A SiC MOSFET based 2L-VSC including gate drive design, bus bar packaging and thermal management have been elaborated. The designed and developed 2L-VSC is operated to supply 35 kVA load at 20 kHz switching frequency with DC bus voltage at 800 V and the experimental results are presented.

Switching performance evaluation of commercial SiC power devices (SiC JFET and SiC MOSFET) in relation to the gate driver complexity

Abstract: Silicon Carbide (SiC) power devices can provide a significant improvement of power density and efficiency in power converters. The switching performances of SiC power devices are often a trade-off between the gate driver complexity and the desired performance; this is especially true for SiC BJTs and JFETs. The recent introduction of SiC MOSFET has proved that it is possible to have highly performing SiC devices with a minimum gate driver complexity; this made SiC power devices even more attractive despite their device cost. This paper presents an analysis based on experimental results of the switching losses of various commercially available Si and SiC power devices rated at 1200 V (Si IGBTs, SiC JFETs and SiC MOSFETs). The comparison evaluates the reduction of the switching losses which is achievable with the introduction of SiC power devices; this includes analysis and considerations on the gate driver complexity and cost.

Performance evaluation of SiC power MOSFETs for high-temperature applications

Abstract: In this paper, the high-temperature performance of the commercial SiC power MOSFETs has been extensively evaluated beyond 125 °C - the maximum junction temperature according to the datasheet. Both the static and switching characteristics have been measured under various temperatures up to 200 °C. The results show the superior electrical performance of the SiC MOSFETs for high-temperature operation. Meanwhile, the gate biasing and gate switching tests have also been conducted to test the gate oxide reliability of these devices under elevated temperatures. The test results reveal the degradation in the device characteristics under high temperature and different gate voltage conditions, which exhibit the trade-off between the performance and the reliability of SiC MOSFETs for high-temperature applications.