Realization of high speed switching of SiC power devices in voltage source converters

Four factors impact high speed switching of silicon carbide (SiC) devices in voltage source converters, including limited gate driving capability, cross-talk, parasitics associated in switching loop, and parasitics of inductive load. This paper focuses on a solution to mitigate the adverse impact of the aforementioned factors. First, an intelligent gate drive is developed for gate driving capability enhancement and cross-talk suppression. Second, placement and layout design of power devices, gate drive, and power stage board are proposed to minimize parasitics for fast switching and over-voltage mitigation. Third, an auxiliary filter is designed to mitigate the negative impact of inductive load's parasitics during the switching transient. Finally, by utilizing all techniques developed above, a three-phase voltage source inverter with Cree 1200-V/20-A SiC MOSFETs is established. Test results show that the switching behavior of SiC devices in actual three-phase voltage source inverter fed motor drives can mostly repeat the switching performance tested by the optimally-designed double pulse test.