Design of a gate driver for SiC MOSFET module for applications up to 1200 V

International audienceNowadays new Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFET transistors are available on the market and they are expected toreplace in the next few years the IGBT and Si-MOSFET in power electronic converters. SiC MOSFET transistors must becontrolled by a dedicated circuit called “gate driver” which ensures the switching orders transmission, the users’ safety andthe switching cell integrity. The design of a gate driver dedicated to a SiC MOSFET module for applications up to 1200 V isdescribed in this paper. Galvanic isolation of control signals and power supplies, the power supply structure, SiC MOSFETswitching orders and protection functions are detailed. Essential functions such as the short circuit detection and theimplementation of the Soft Shut Down (SSD) are expanded. The developed gate driver is tested and validated.Experimental measurements allow to validate the good functioning of the developed gate driver in a highly disturbedenvironment