Realization of an IGBT gate driver with dualphase turn-on/off gate control

Abstract

Adding passive components in a conventional IGBT gate driver is a simple method to reduce transient current/voltage spikes during switching, but the extra devices and power loss make them less attractive. Alternatively, active gate drivers can improve the switching behavior, but are limited to specific devices and applications from the increased complexity of functions and feedback topology. This article reports a simple design for a general purpose gate driver methodology to reduce the peak reverse recovery current and over-voltage. The proposed topology was verified using a foundry 0.25- μm BCD technology and experimental testing Remarkable improvements of crucial current overshoot during turn-on, voltage overshoot during turn-off, and the associated switching loss are demonstrated using novel dual-phase turn-on and turn-off gate controls.