Switching-behavior improvement of insulated gate-controlled devices

MOSFETs and insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) devices are increasingly used in electronic circuits due to both their easy driving and ability to handle high currents and voltages at high-switching frequencies. This paper deals with a new driver technique that allows optimization of the switching speed, reduction of the energy losses during the switching time, and limitation of the electromagnetic interference (EMI). First, an analysis of voltage- and current-switching waveforms of gate-insulated devices is performed. Then, a method of controlling voltage and current slopes independently is shown using the "one-cycle" method or a suitable adaptive-driving technique based on a phase-locked loop (PLL) approach. These techniques were adopted in order to allow correct generation of the gate signals regardless of the operating conditions. Finally, practical results of the proposed driving circuit obtained using a single IGBT switch chopper are presented.