Active Autonomous Open-Loop Technique for Static and Dynamic Current Balancing of Parallel-Connected Silicon Carbide MOSFETs

Abstract

Silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs tend to become one of the main switching elements in power electronics applications of medium- and high-power density. Usually, SiC MOSFETs are connected in parallel to increase power rating. Unfortunately, unequal current sharing between power devices occurs due to mismatches in the technical parameters between devices and the layout of the power circuit. This current imbalance causes different current stress upon power switches, raising concerns about power system reliability. For over a decade, various methods and techniques have been proposed for balancing the currents between parallel-connected SiC MOSFETs. However, most of these methods cannot be implemented unless the deviation between the technical parameters of semiconductor switches is known. This requirement increases the system cost because screening methods are extremely costly and time-consuming. In addition, most techniques aim at suppressing only the transient current imbalance. In this paper, a simple but innovative current balancing technique is proposed, without the need of screening any power device. The proposed technique consists of an open-loop system capable of balancing the currents between two parallel-connected SiC MOSFETs, with the aid of two active gate drivers and an FPGA, actively and independently of the cause. Experimental test results validate that the proposed open-loop method can successfully achieve suppression of current imbalance between parallel-connected SiC MOSFETs, proving its durability and validity level.

Keywords

• energy systems
• energy system components
• parallel-connected silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs
• active current balancing technique
• optimization models