Development of a SiC MOSFET digital smart gate driver for online dv/dt and overvoltage optimization

Abstract:
This paper presents a digital gate driver for SiC (Silicon Carbide) MOSFETs with online dv/dt and overvoltage optimization capability. Traditional solutions do not constitute the best driver for high switching frequency devices. Therefore, this work develops a new driver concept software and hardware based. The proposed control algorithm uses drain current and drain-source voltage measurements to change gate resistor’s value and consequently, those dv/dt and overvoltage. The developed algorithm can adjust itself deviations due to degradation or temperature variations. As result, reduction of EMI filtering requirements and maximization of conversion efficiency and power density are achieved.