Intelligent Gate Drive for Fast Switching and Crosstalk Suppression of SiC Devices

Journal Article · Thu Jan 19 00:00:00 EST 2017 · IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1109/TPEL.2017.2655496· OSTI ID:1399114

Zhang, Zheyu ^[1]; Dix, Jeffery ^[1]; Wang, Fei Fred ^[1]; Blalock, Benjamin J. ^[1]; Costinett, Daniel ^[1]; Tolbert, Leon M.  ^[1]

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1. The Univ. of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN (United States)

This study presents an intelligent gate drive for silicon carbide (SiC) devices to fully utilize their potential of high switching-speed capability in a phase-leg configuration. Based on the SiC device's intrinsic properties, a gate assist circuit consisting of two auxiliary transistors with two diodes is introduced to actively control gate voltages and gate loop impedances of both devices in a phase-leg configuration during different switching transients. Compared to conventional gate drives, the proposed circuit has the capability of accelerating the switching speed of the phase-leg power devices and suppressing the crosstalk to below device limits. Based on Wolfspeed 1200-V SiC MOSFETs, the test results demonstrate the effectiveness of this intelligent gate drive under varying operating conditions. More importantly, the proposed intelligent gate assist circuitry is embedded into a gate drive integrated circuit, offering a simple, compact, and reliable solution for end-users to maximize benefits of SiC devices in actual power electronics applications.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE
• Grant/Contract Number: AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1399114
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics, Vol. 32, Issue 12; ISSN 0885-8993
• Publisher: IEEE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

30 DIRECT ENERGY CONVERSION
crosstalk suppression
fast switching
gate drive IC
intelligent gate drive (IGD)
phase-leg configuration
silicon carbide (SiC)