High Temperature Silicon Carbide (SiC) Gate Driver

During Phase I, USCI developed a compact, high frequency, high temperature, silicon carbide (SiC) gate driver module to control SiC transistor power modules, capable of operation in the temperature range from -40 degrees C to 300 degrees C, based on our innovative 4H-SiC Lateral Junction Field Effect Transistor (LJFET) technology. The system consists of two separate parts (input and output) monolithically integrated on a single chip, using a common substrate, physically isolated from each other and connected through an external transformer to ensure galvanic isolation between the low voltage and high voltage sides. An isolated power supply is also included to form a compact gate driver module, suitable for controlling power switches in DC-DC converters or motor control drives. Three different driver designs were created for three different types of power switches"MOSFET, normally-on JFET, and normally-off JFET. In Phase II we propose to fully develop the Phase I design to produce a dual-channel gate drive module prototype capable of driving a single phase leg consisting of a pair of SiC transistors and SiC diodes. Phase II deliverables will be seven (7) single-phase leg dual-channel SiC gate drive modules developed to TRL 4.