High performance IGBT gate drive

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9444448-B2
Application number	US-201314101579-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2013
Priority date	Dec 10, 2013
Publication date	Sep 13, 2016
Grant date	Sep 13, 2016

Abstract

High performance gate drives and methods for driving semiconductor switching elements, such as insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), are provided. The gate drive can control the voltage applied to the gate of the IGBT to one or more intermediate voltages near the threshold voltage of the IGBT to control dv/dt of the collector-emitter voltage during and the di/dt of the collector current turn off. For instance, a voltage level between the turn on voltage and the turn off voltage can be applied for a first time period to control dv/dt of the collector-emitter voltage and di/dt of the collector current during turn off. Another voltage level between the turn on voltage and the turn off voltage can be applied for a second time period during reverse recovery of a freewheeling diode coupled in parallel with the IGBT.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A gate drive circuit for applying a gate voltage to a gate of a transistor, the gate drive circuit comprising:
a gate resistor;
an active gate control circuit, the active gate control circuit configured to apply a first voltage via the gate resistor to the gate of the transistor to turn on the transistor, the first voltage being greater than a threshold voltage for the transistor, the active gate control circuit further configured to apply a second voltage via the gate resistor to the gate of the transistor to turn off the transistor, the second voltage being less than the threshold voltage;
wherein during turn off of the transistor, the active gate control circuit is further configured to apply a third voltage to the gate of the transistor for a first turn off period, the third voltage being less than the first voltage but greater than the second voltage, the active gate control circuit further configured to apply a fourth voltage to the gate of the transistor for a second turn off period, the second turn off period corresponding to a period of reverse recovery of a diode coupled in parallel with the transistor, the fourth voltage being less than the third voltage but greater than the second voltage;
wherein the active gate control circuit is configured to receive a feedback signal indicative of a collector current of the transistor.

2. The gate drive circuit of claim 1 , wherein the gate drive circuit further comprises a passive feedback element coupled between a collector of the transistor and the gate of the transistor.

3. The gate drive circuit of claim 1 , wherein the passive feedback element comprises a capacitor.

4. The gate drive circuit of claim 1 , wherein the transistor is an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT).

5. The gate drive circuit of claim 1 , wherein the active gate control circuit is configured to transition between the first turn off period and the second turn off period at a predetermined time.

6. The gate drive circuit of claim 1 , wherein the active gate control circuit is configured to transition between the first turn off period and the second turn off period based at least in part on one or more of temperature, collector current, DC bus voltage, di/dt of collector current, dv/dt of collector-emitter voltage.

7. The gate drive circuit of claim 1 , wherein the transition between the third voltage and the fourth voltage occurs at least in part as a result of a termination of a miller plateau current resulting from completion of the turn off dv/dt of the transistor.

8. A bridge circuit used in a power converter of a power system, the bridge circuit comprising:
a first transistor having a gate, a collector, and an emitter;
a second transistor coupled in series with the first transistor;
a diode coupled in parallel with the first transistor;
a gate drive circuit configured to apply a voltage to the gate of the first transistor, the gate drive circuit comprising a gate resistor and an active gate control circuit, the active gate control circuit configured to receive a feedback signal indicative of a collector current of the first transistor;
wherein the active gate control circuit is configured to apply a first voltage via the gate resistor to the gate of the transistor to turn on the first transistor, the first voltage being greater than a threshold voltage for the first transistor, the active gate control circuit further configured to apply a second voltage via the gate resistor to the gate of the first transistor to turn off the first transistor, the second voltage being less than the threshold voltage;
wherein the active gate control circuit is further configured to apply a third voltage to the gate of the first transistor for a first turn off period, the third voltage being less than the first voltage but greater than the second voltage, the active gate control circuit further configured to apply a fourth voltage to the gate of the first transistor for a second turn off period, the second turn off period corresponding to a time sufficient for a freewheeling diode to deplete a reverse recovery charge, the fourth voltage being less than the third voltage but greater than the second voltage.

9. The bridge circuit of claim 8 , wherein the gate drive circuit further comprises a passive feedback element coupled between a collector of the first transistor and the gate of the first transistor.

10. The bridge circuit of claim 8 , wherein the active gate control circuit is configured to transition between the first turn off period and the second turn off period at a predetermined time.

11. The bridge circuit of claim 8 , wherein the active gate control circuit is configured to transition between the first turn off period and the second turn off period at a time when the second transistor is turned on.

12. The bridge circuit of claim 8 , wherein the active gate control circuit is configured to transition between the first turn off period and the second turn off period based at least in part on a collector current of the first transistor.

13. The gate drive circuit of claim 8 , wherein the bridge circuit is used in a power converter of a wind-driven power generation system.

14. A method of gating an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) used in a power converter of a wind-driven power generation system, the method comprising:
applying a first voltage via a gate resistor to a gate of the IGBT to turn on the transistor, the first voltage being greater than a threshold voltage for the IGBT;
receiving a turn off signal to turn off the IGBT;
subsequent to receiving the turn off signal, applying a second voltage via the gate resistor to the gate of the IGBT to turn off the IGBT, the second voltage being less than the threshold voltage;
wherein during turn off the IGBT, the method further comprises applying one or more intermediate voltages near the threshold voltage to control the IGBT based at least in part on a feedback signal indicative of a collector current of the IGBT, at least one of the intermediate voltages applied for a time sufficient for a freewheeling diode to deplete a reverse recovery charge.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein applying one or more intermediate voltages near the threshold voltage to control the IGBT in a small signal manner comprises:
applying a third voltage to the gate of the IGBT for a first turn off period, the third voltage being less than the first voltage but greater than the second voltage; and
applying a fourth voltage to the gate of the IGBT for a second turn off period subsequent to the first turn off period, the fourth voltage being less than the third voltage but greater than the second voltage.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the second turn off period corresponds to a period of time of diode reverse recovery of a diode coupled in parallel with the IGBT.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the one or more intermediate voltages are applied to control the rate of change of collector-emitter voltage of the IGBT during turn off.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the one or more intermediate voltages are applied to control the rate of change of collector current of the IGBT during turn off.

Assignees

• Gen Electric

Inventors

• Wagoner Robert Gregory
• Ritter Allen Michael
• Schnetzka Harold Robert

Classifications

• H03K17/0412

  by measures taken in the control circuit · CPC title

• H03K17/567 Primary

  Circuits characterised by the use of more than one type of semiconductor device, e.g. BIMOS, composite devices such as IGBT · CPC title

• H03K17/168

  in composite switches · CPC title

• H02M1/08

  Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters · CPC title