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

Silicon Carbide (SiC) power devices have inherent capability for fast switching. However, in a phase-leg configuration, high dv/dt will worsen the interference between the two devices during a switching transient (i.e., cross talk), leading to slower switching speed, excessive switching losses, and overstress of power devices. Unfortunately, due to intrinsic properties, such as low threshold voltage, low maximum allowable negative gate voltage, and large internal gate resistance, SiC power devices are easily affected by cross talk. This paper proposes a novel gate assist circuit using an auxiliary transistor in series with a capacitor to mitigate cross talk. Based on CMF20120D SiC MOSFETs, the experimental results show that the new gate assist circuit is capable of reducing the turn-on switching loss up to 19.3%, and suppress the negative spurious gate voltage within the maximum allowable negative gate voltage without the penalty of further decreasing the device switching speed. Moreover, in comparison to a conventional gate drive with -2 V turn-off gate voltage, this gate assist circuit without negative isolated power supply is more effective in improving the switching behavior of power devices in a phase-leg. The proposed gate assist circuit is a cost-effective solution for cross talk mitigation.