SiC-Based Half-Bridge Converter: Impact of Gate Resistance on Switching Behavior and Loss Estimation

João J. F. Evangelista Filho; Robson Mayer; José Antenor Pomilio

doi:10.18618/REP.e202606

Authors

João J. F. Evangelista Filho Universidade Estadual de Campinas
Robson Mayer Universidade Estadual de Campinas https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2184-7679
José Antenor Pomilio Universidade Estadual de Campinas https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5457-4438

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18618/REP.e202606

Keywords:

SiC MOSFET, Gate Resistance, Switching losses

Abstract

This study explores the behavior of SiC MOSFETs in a half-bridge converter, emphasizing simulation and experimental validation under both ZVS and non-ZVS conditions. Fast switching and high efficiency make SiC attractive, but parasitic-induced oscillations and EMC require careful design. The influence of gate resistance on switching dynamics and loss mechanisms is analyzed, showing that higher gate resistance reduces oscillations but increases switching losses. For estimating the MOSFET dissipated power, traditional current sensing with current probes or shunt resistors introduces parasitic elements that affect the transistor switching and compromise the instantaneous power measurements. As a result, alternative methods were employed for loss estimation in high-frequency SiC converters. Results demonstrate that increasing gate resistance from 3 Ω to 30 Ω reduces oscillation amplitude by 41%, while increasing switching losses by 53.8%. These findings support gate-drive optimization in SiC-based converters.

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Author Biographies

João J. F. Evangelista Filho, Universidade Estadual de Campinas

born on October 16, 1997, in Fortaleza, Brazil, he is a PhD candidate in Power Electronics at UNICAMP, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Pomilio. He holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from UNICAMP (also supervised by Prof. Dr. Pomilio), where he developed a Gate Driver for SiC-Based Half-Bridge Converter. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering from UNIFOR (2017), where his undergraduate thesis focused on a Solid-State Transformer, and during his scientific initiation he developed Didactic Modules for Teaching Power Electronics and Digital Control. His current research interests include wide-bandgap semiconductors (SiC and GaN), gate driver design, solid-state circuit breakers for DC networks, thermal management, applications in electric aircraft, and embedded systems.

Robson Mayer, Universidade Estadual de Campinas

received the B.S. degree in electrical engineering from the Católica de Santa Catarina, Jaraguá do Sul, Brazil, in 2010, the M.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from the Universidade Regional de Blumenau (FURB), Blumenau, Brazil, in 2014, and the Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the Universidade do Estado de Santa Catarina (UDESC), Joinville, Brazil, in 2019. He has been actively engaged in research in the field of power electronics at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas, Brazil. His efforts focus on power electronics, with specialization in dc–dc converters, inverters, power factor correction (PFC) converters, and rectifiers. His research interests include the design and control of power electronic converters, the application of power electronics in renewable energy systems and electric vehicles, energy efficiency, resonant dc–dc converters, and high-power density solutions.

José Antenor Pomilio, Universidade Estadual de Campinas

was born in Jundiaí, Brazil, in 1960. He received his B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil, in 1983, 1986, and 1991, respectively. From 1988 to 1991, he was the Head of the Power Electronics Group, Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory. He was a visiting professor at the University of Padova in 1993 and 2015 and at the Third University of Rome in 2003 in Italy. He is a Professor at the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Campinas, where he has been teaching since 1984. His main interests are power electronics and power quality. Dr. Pomilio was the President of the Brazilian Power Electronics Society in 2000–2002 and a member of the Administrative Committee of the IEEE Power Electronics Society in 1997–2002.

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