Characterization and gate drive design of high voltage cascode GaN HEMT

Abstract

This paper covers characterization and gate drive design for high voltage, gallium nitride (GaN), high electron-mobility transistors (HEMT) in a cascode structure. Parameters of high voltage cascode GaN HEMT devices are described and compared to state-of-the-art Si MOSFET devices. Challenges in designing high frequency GaN based power converter and common design practices are described. Effects of increased switching frequency on gate drive design are analyzed by SPICE modeling and experiments. Optimization of a GaN HEMT driving circuit design is performed and verified experimentally on GaN HEMT half-bridge model.