A new optically-isolated power converter for 12 V gate drive power supplies applied to high voltage and high speed switching devices

Ishigaki, Masanori; Fafard, S.; Masson, Denis P.; Wilkins, Matthew M.; Valdivia, Christopher E.; Hinzer, Karin

doi:10.1109/apec.2017.7931022

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…The agreement between experiments and theory provides a validation of our theoretical formalism. Moreover, although these off-the-shelf components are not expected to deliver high efficiency, we are able to achieve a large voltage conversion ratio (> 40) that significantly exceeds what have been previously demonstrated in existing experiments on photonic transformers (< 10) 10,11 .…”

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confidence: 66%

“…In doing so, a small input voltage that drives a laser or an LED can be boosted to a larger output voltage from the PV cells. Photonic transformers have been shown to produce no switching noise and are immune to the environment EMI and have been utilized to build DC voltage converters 10 and gate drivers 11 . However, the experimentally demonstrated efficiency, as well as voltage conversion ratio, are significantly below that of the standard switchmode voltage converter 10 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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High-performance photonic transformers for DC voltage conversion

et al. 2021

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Direct current (DC) converters play an essential role in electronic circuits. Conventional high-efficiency DC voltage converters, especially step-up type, rely on switching operation, where energy is periodically stored within and released from inductors and/or capacitors connected in a variety of circuit topologies. Since these energy storage components, especially inductors, are fundamentally difficult to scale down, miniaturization of switching converters proves challenging. Furthermore, the resulting switching currents produce significant electromagnetic noise. To overcome the limitations of switching converters, photonic transformers, where voltage conversion is achieved through light emission and detection processes, have been demonstrated. However, the demonstrated efficiency is significantly below that of the switching converter. Here we perform a detailed balance analysis and show that with a monolithically integrated design that enables efficient photon transport, the photonic transformer can operate with a near-unity conversion efficiency and high voltage conversion ratio. We validate the theory with a transformer constructed with off-the-shelf discrete components. Our experiment showcases near noiseless operation and a voltage conversion ratio that is significantly higher than obtained in previous photonic transformers. Our findings point to the possibility of a high-performance optical solution to miniaturizing DC power converters and improving the electromagnetic compatibility and quality of electrical power.

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confidence: 66%

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confidence: 99%

High-performance photonic transformers for DC voltage conversion

et al. 2021

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“…Compared with conventional copper wiring, this technology provides unique benefits, such as galvanic isolation, avoidance of electromagnetic interference, replacement of copper cables with low-weight fiber, avoidance of electric sparks while ensuring highest reliability and the possibility for wireless power transmission through free space. Thereby, it enables new applications in various domains (e.g., power supply for gate-drivers, probes, or sensors in high-voltage environment [2]- [7], ripple-free opto-couplers Manuscript received September 12, 2019; revised December 13, 2019; accepted January 12, 2020. Date of publication January 16, 2020; date of current version April 22, 2020.…”

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confidence: 99%

6-W Optical Power Link With Integrated Optical Data Transmission

Helmers

Armbruster

Ravenstein

et al. 2020

IEEE Trans. Power Electron.

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This article demonstrates a fiber-based power-bylight system that is capable of delivering up to 6.2 W of continuous electrical power at common voltages of 3.3 and 5 V. This optical link includes bidirectional optical communication, for which the data stream from the base to the remote unit is realized by amplitude modulation of the laser beam over the same fiber. At the remote unit, a gallium arsenide-based photovoltaic (PV) laser power converter receives and converts the light. The data are demodulated with a dedicated electric circuit, while the power is forwarded to a dc-dc boost converter. The optical data uplink is realized over a separate optical fiber. In operation, a PV conversion efficiency of above 50% has been measured. For downlink data rates up to 115.2 kb/s, unperturbed signal integrities are demonstrated, at higher data rates, the signal integrity deteriorates. An assessment of power budget and power losses in the overall system is presented. Finally, a smart power management concept is introduced, which controls the laser output power with respect to changing electrical load, optimizes the operating point of the PV cell, and, thus, increases system efficiency for varying load operation. Thereby, it also minimizes laser and PV cell operating temperatures, and eventually prolongs the lifetime of the system.

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“…The power-isolation methods of GDPSs can be categorized into four types: magnetic-core transformer coupling (MCTC) [13]- [18]; wireless power transfer (WPT) [19], [20]; optical power transfer (OPT) [21], [22]; and coreless transformer coupling (CLTC) [23]- [25]. MCTC GDPSs have been widely applied for low-voltage (LV) SiC MOSFETs.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Due to a low dielectric breakdown (2.5-3 kV/mm) of the air, the large air gap is required and, thus, WPT GDPSs usually have a large form factor. OPT GDPSs deliver the GD power by the laser light via the optical fiber, which ensures an unlimited isolation and eliminates the C cp [21], [22]. However, the transmitted GD power is < 1 W and the transmission efficiency is < 25% [21].…”

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confidence: 99%

A MHz-Pulse-Transformer Isolated Gate Driver With Signal-Power Integrated Transmission for Medium-Voltage SiC MOSFETs

Guo

2022

IEEE Trans. Power Electron.

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The conventional isolated gate driver (GD) solution for the medium-voltage (MV) SiC MOSFET separates the signal and power transmissions and requires a bulky GD power supply (GDPS). This article presents a signal-power integrated GD for MV SiC MOSFETs with a compact footprint. The proposed GD transmits both the pulsewidth modulation (PWM) signal and GD power by 20-MHz modulated class-E resonant flyback converters, where the transmitted GD power can maintain constant within the full PWM duty-cycle range (i.e., 0%-100%). In addition, the PWM signal transmission of the proposed GD achieves a low total propagation delay time < 75 ns by utilizing the fast transient of 20-MHz RFCs and the edge-based envelope detector. A printed-circuit-board-based coreless transformer is integrated into the proposed GD to achieve an insulation voltage higher than 10 kV RMS and a low coupling capacitance of 5.85 pF. The commonmode transient immunity of proposed GD is higher than 100 V/ns, which is beneficial to drive MV SiC MOSFETs with high dv/dt. The proposed GD does not require additional GDPSs nor fiber-optics, which achieves a smaller size compared to conventional isolated GDs and is promising to be integrated into SiC MOSFET module packages. Experimental results on 3.3 kV and 10 kV SiC MOSFETs are provided to validate the effectiveness of the proposed GD. Index Terms-Common-mode transient immunity (CMTI), gate driver (GD), medium-voltage (MV) SiC MOSFETs, MHz-pulsetransformer, signal-power integrated transmission. I. INTRODUCTIONM EDIUM-VOLTAGE (MV) SiC MOSFETs, which span 2.5 to 15 kV range, have attracted the increased attention recently [1]- [3]. Due to the high blocking voltage, fast switching speed, low switching loss, and high-temperature endurability, newly emerged MV SiC MOSFETs have a great potential to improve the efficiency and power density of MV converters and drive down the system complexity [4], [5]. On the other hand, the isolated gate driver (GD) is required to provide the sufficient galvanic isolation and high common-mode transient immunity (CMTI) for MV SiC MOSFET applications [6].

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A new optically-isolated power converter for 12 V gate drive power supplies applied to high voltage and high speed switching devices

Cited by 13 publications

References 5 publications

High-performance photonic transformers for DC voltage conversion

High-performance photonic transformers for DC voltage conversion

6-W Optical Power Link With Integrated Optical Data Transmission

A MHz-Pulse-Transformer Isolated Gate Driver With Signal-Power Integrated Transmission for Medium-Voltage SiC MOSFETs

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