Resonant gate drive circuits
AssigneeQueen's University at Kingston
InventorsYan-Fei Liu, Zhihua Yang, Wilson Eberle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A resonate gate drive circuit for driving at least one power switching device recovers energy loss for charging and discharging the gate capacitance of the power switching devices. The gate drive circuit uses a current source to charge and discharge the gate capacitance with a high current, reducing the switching loss of the power switching device. The gate drive circuit comprises four semiconductor bidirectional conducting switching devices connected in a full-bridge configuration. An inductor connected across the bridge configuration provides the current source. The gate drive circuit may be used in single and dual high-side and low-side, symmetrical or complementary, power converter gate drive applications.
Claims29
A method of controlling operation of at least one power switching device having a gate capacitance, comprising:
- (i) charging the gate capacitance of a said power switching device using a current source connected directly to the gate capacitance of the power switching device, so that the power switching device is switched on, and then clamping the gate capacitance of the power switching device to a voltage source via a first low impedance path while the power switching device is on;
- and
- (ii) discharging the gate capacitance of the said power switching device using a current source connected directly to the gate capacitance of the power switching device, so that the power switching device is switched off, and then clamping the gate capacitance of the power switching device to a low voltage via a second low impedance path while the power switching device is off;
- wherein the current source is an inductor or an inductor connected in series with a capacitor;
- wherein energy stored in the gate capacitance of the at least one power switching device is recovered;
- wherein the gate capacitance is directly between a gate and a source, an emitter, or a cathode of the at least one power switching device and is part of the at least one power switching device;
- and
- wherein the at least one power switching device is selected from MOSFET, IGBT, and MCT.
A resonant gate drive circuit for controlling operation of at least one power switching device having a gate capacitance, comprising:
- a current source consisting of comprising an inductor or an inductor connected in series with a capacitor;
- and
- a switching circuit for connecting the current source directly to the gate capacitance of the at least one power switching device, for clamping the gate capacitance of the at least one rower switching device to a voltage source via a first low impedance path while the at least one power switching device is on, and for clamping the gate capacitance of the at least one power switching device to a low voltage via a second low impedance path while the at least one power switching device is off, at selected instants in time;
- wherein the gate capacitance is directly between a gate and a source, an emitter, or a cathode of the at least one power switching device and is part of the at least one power switching device;
- and
- wherein the at least one power switching device is selected from MOSFET, IGBT, and MCT.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.