Flexible dv/dt and di/dt control method for insulated gate power switches

• Published in: Conference Record of the 2001 IEEE Industry Applications Conference. 36th IAS Annual Meeting (Cat. No.01CH37248) Vol. 2; pp. 1038 - 1045 vol.2
• Main Authors: Shihong Park, Jahns, T.M.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 2001
• Subjects: Capacitance; Capacitors; Circuits; Dielectrics and electrical insulation; Electromagnetic interference; Inductors; Insulated gate bipolar transistors; Multichip modules; Output feedback; Voltage control
• ISBN: 0780371143; 9780780371149
• ISSN: 0197-2618; 2576-702X
• DOI: 10.1109/IAS.2001.955592

Active gate control techniques are introduced in this paper for flexibly and independently controlling the dv/dt and di/dt of insulated-gate power devices during hard-switching events. In the case of dv/dt control, the output voltage dv/dt can be controlled over a wide range by electronically adjusting the effective gate-to-drain (-collector) capacitance (i.e., Miller capacitance). For di/dt control, similar techniques are applied for electronically adjusting the output current di/dt over a wide range using voltage feedback from a small inductor connected in series with the switch's source (emitter) terminal. Both techniques are designed to maximize their compatibility with power module implementations that combine the power switch and its gate drive, including integrated circuit gate drives. Simulation and experimental results are included to verify the desirable performance characteristics of the presented dv/dt and di/dt control techniques.