Qualification of Gate drivers for Operation of High Voltage SiC MOSFETs and IGBTs

Abstract

Smaller switching loss at higher switching frequency makes the 10kV and 15kV SiC MOSFETs and IGBTs competent to the medium voltage application. Due to exposure to fast voltage transitions at such high voltage level (10kV and 15kV), the gate drivers used in operation suffer through various challenges including insulation problems and common mode currents in power supply. Failure of gate drivers at such a high voltage may lead to catastrophic damage to the converter and surroundings. Therefore, it requires to qualify the gate drivers performance at 10kV to 15kV voltage level before implementing them in field operation. This paper describes an organized methodology for the qualification of gate drivers for High voltage SiC MOSFETs and IGBTs at higher switching frequency up to 20kHz.