| Abstract |
IGBT and Power MOSFET devices are increasingly used in high voltage
power converters because of their ability to handle high power as well as they are easy to control. The market offers a wide range of devices covering the requirements Qf power applications up to several KVolts. A common lack, however, is in the switching losses
that considerably increase with the voltage handling capability, thus limiting the switching frequency. An alternative solution is the series connection of two or more devices, with a lower breakdown voltage, driven by a suitable circuit able to share the voltage across the devices. This paper describes a novel approach· operating by the
management of the gate capacitance charge. The main advantages. of the proposed method consist in avoiding the use of balancement capacitance, in the output power side, and in controlling only the gate drive signal. The application of this technique is
demonstrated and discussed by an active control of two insulated gate devices connected in series. |
