A resonant gate-drive circuit capable of high-frequency and high-efficiency operation

Abstract

This paper deals with a new resonant gate-drive circuit for power MOSFETs. The proposed gate-drive circuit is characterized by a resonant inductor connected in series to the gate terminal of the MOSFET. It is possible to charge or discharge the input capacitance of the MOSFET by using the resonance between the inductor and the input capacitance. Experimental results are shown to verify the viability of the resonant gate-drive circuit. As a result, the proposed resonant gate-drive circuit reduces its power consumption to one tenth, compared with a conventional one. It was experimentally clarified that the proposed circuit makes it possible to improve efficiency of a high-frequency inverter using MOSFETs.