Design and Implementation of a Wirelessly Powered and Controlled Gate Driver

Abstract

This article proposes a wirelessly powered and controlled gate driver (WPCGD) that can be employed in 5G and Internet-of-Things applications. Two dedicated antennas and different operating frequencies are utilized in the system to ensure both adequate wireless power transfer at the gate driver stage and a precise pulse width modulation (PWM) control signal, mitigating possible mutual interference. On-off keying modulation is used because of its ease of deployment. At the receiving end, a three-stage voltage multiplier and an RC filter are employed to demodulate the modulated PWM control signal. BJTs, connected as diodes in the gate driver, also help to reduce the trigger voltage, to extend the control range, and to reduce the time delay. The chip was implemented using high-voltage $0.25~{\mu }\text{m}$ CMOS technology. The entire proposed system was tested and demonstrated in this study. The 10 kHz PWM control signal was modulated with a 13.56 MHz RF carrier, and transmitted over a pair of 13.56 MHz monopole antennas. It may be possible to increase the PWM control signal higher than 10 kHz if more wireless power is provided. At the receiving end, the modulated PWM control signal was successfully demodulated and the wirelessly powered portion provided sufficient power to enable the gate driver stage to drive a power switch in a buck converter. Thus, the feasibility of the WPCGD was successfully demonstrated.