Fast SiC-MOSFET Switch with Gate Boosting Technology

Abstract:
Gate boosting enables a considerable increase in switching speed for commercially available MOSFETs. In the present work, a switch comprising three SiC-MOSFETs in parallel configuration has been combined with a gate drive circuit employing a gate boosting technology based on a series capacitance and increased driver voltage. The gate driver uses GaN-HEMTs in a half-bridge topology. The MOSFET switch has been tested in pulsed operation with a resistive load up to 1 kV and 90 A at the load. Thereby, the capacitance and supply voltage of the gate driver have been varied. A rise time of 3.3 ns at the load has been achieved.