Functionality and Performance Evaluation of Gate Drivers under Cryogenic Temperature

Cryogenic power electronics is critical in aerospace applications to achieve high efficiency and high power density operation. As the most critical component in power electronics systems, the semiconductors performance is worth to be explore. To operate the switches properly and efficiently, gate drivers should be designed carefully. In this article, the functionality and performance of gate drivers under cryogenic temperature are investigated. The performance of the key components in a gate driver is analyzed. It was found out that the investigated gate driver chips consumes more power initially with the temperature decreases, while the consumed power is decreasing with the further decrease of temperature. The voltage clamped by the Zener diode is decreasing with the decrease of temperature. The turn-on and turn-off driving signal delays are slightly decreased with the decrease of temperature. A relatively large power rating auxiliary power supply is recommended when designing the cryogenic gate driver and the driver chip should be selected carefully since their performances are quite different under cryogenic operation.