AC‐coupled gate driver with gate current switch under single power supply for normally‐off SiC JFET

Theoretically, normally‐off silicon carbide (SiC) junction field‐effect transistors (JFETs) do not require a negative gate voltage supply because they are in an off‐state when the gate–source voltage is 0 V. However, most gate drivers for normally‐off SiC JFETs require not only a positive power supp...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:IEEJ transactions on electrical and electronic engineering 2020-12, Vol.15 (12), p.1844-1852
Main Authors: Sakamoto, Kozo, Yokoyama, Natsuki, Hozoji, Hiroshi
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Alternating current
bridge circuit
circuit reliability
Circuits
Crosstalk
driver circuit
Electric potential
Electric power supplies
JFET
JFET circuit
Power supply
Silicon carbide
Transistors
Voltage
Citations: Items that this one cites
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Theoretically, normally‐off silicon carbide (SiC) junction field‐effect transistors (JFETs) do not require a negative gate voltage supply because they are in an off‐state when the gate–source voltage is 0 V. However, most gate drivers for normally‐off SiC JFETs require not only a positive power supply for turning on the JFET but also a negative power supply for turning it off and maintaining a negative gate–source voltage to suppress a false turn‐on power loss caused by crosstalk during fast switching. Therefore, modifications of gate drivers increase complications and costs. In this study, a normally‐off SiC JFET gate driver, which can be realized using a simple circuit configuration with a single power supply, is proposed. To minimize undesirable crosstalk, the gate‐source voltage of the JFET is driven to a negative value and retained in the state for a long period of time. © 2020 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.
ISSN:1931-4973
1931-4981
DOI:10.1002/tee.23255