Evaluation of 600 V GaN based gate injection transistors for high temperature and high efficiency applications

In this paper, we present a comprehensive evaluation of the latest 600 V class Gallium Nitride based Gate Injection Transistor (GaN-GIT) for high temperature and high efficiency applications. In this study, the Panasonic GITs are used as the reference for latest GaN-GIT technology. Static and dynamic testing was performed on the two GaN-GIT versions to extract critical static parameters and switching losses. A curve tracer was used to measure the gate-to-source threshold value and static Rds(on) across the full operating temperature range. A double pulse setup was developed to test the devices switching time and hard-switching loss. The switching performance is temperature insensitive. Then, the dynamic on-resistance of the GaN-GIT was measured with an additional clamping circuit. Finally, an improved gate drive circuit for the GaN-GIT was proposed and validated to achieve MHz operation with smaller switching loss.