A gate assist circuit for cross talk suppression of SiC devices in a phase-leg configuration

In a phase-leg configuration, the high switching-speed performance of silicon carbide (SiC) devices is limited by the interaction between the upper and lower devices during the switching transient (cross talk), leading to additional switching losses and overstress of the power devices. To utilize the full potential of fast SiC devices, this paper proposes a gate assist circuit using two auxiliary transistors and a diode to eliminate cross talk. Based on CMF20120D SiC MOSFETs, the experimental results show that this gate assist methodology is effective to suppress cross talk under different operating conditions, enabling turn-on switching losses reduction by up to 19.6%, and negative spurious gate voltage minimization within the maximum allowable negative gate voltage of the power devices without the penalty of reduced switching speed. Moreover, in comparison to the conventional gate driver with -2 V turn-off gate voltage, this gate assist circuit without a negative isolated power supply is more effective in enhancing the switching behavior of power devices in a phase-leg. Accordingly, the proposed gate assist circuit is a cost-effective solution for cross talk suppression.