Design new voltage balancing control series connected for HV-IGBT`s

<span>The insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are widely used in various applications as they require low gate drive power and gate voltage. This paper proposes an active gain circuit to maintain voltage stability of series-connected IGBTs for high voltage applications. The novel gate driver circuit with closed-loops control amplifies the gate signal while restricting the IGBT emitter voltage below a predetermined level. With the proposed circuit, serial-connected IGBTs can replace high-voltage IGBTs (HV-IGBTs) for high-voltage applications through the active control of the gate signal time delay. Closed-loop controls function is to charged current to the gate to restrict the IGBT emitter voltage to a predetermined level. This paper also presents the experiment on the gate driver capability based on a series-connected IGBTs with three IGBTs and a snubber circuit. The experimental results show a voltage offset with active control with a wide variation in load and imbalance conditions. Lastly, the experimental results are validated with the simulation results, where the simulation results agree with the experimental results.</span>

Evaluation of VTH and RON Drifts during Switch-Mode Operation in Packaged SiC MOSFETs

In this paper, we investigate the evolution of threshold voltage (VTH) and on-resistance (RON) drifts in the silicon carbide (SiC) power metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) during the switch-mode operation. A novel measurement setup for performing the required on-the-fly characterization is presented and the experimental results, obtained on commercially available TO-247 packaged SiC devices, are reported. Measurements were performed for 1000 s, during which negative VTH shifts (i.e., VTH decrease) and negative RON drifts (i.e., RON decrease) were observed. To better understand the origin of these parameter drifts and their possible correlation, measurements were performed for different (i) gate-driving voltage (VGH) and (ii) off-state drain voltage (VPH). We found that VTH reduction leads to a current increase, thus yielding RON to decrease. This correlation was explained by the RON dependence on the overdrive voltage (VGS–VTH). We also found that gate-related effects dominate the parameter drifts at low VPH with no observable recovery, due to the repeated switching of the gate signal required for the parameter monitoring. Conversely, the drain-induced instabilities caused by high VPH are completely recoverable within 1000 s from the VPH removal. These results show that the measurement setup is able to discern the gate/drain contributions, clarifying the origin of the observed VTH and RON drifts.