A simple high-performance low-loss current-source driver for SiC bipolar transistors

The paper proposes a novel topology of a simple base drive unit for silicon carbide bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) based on the current-source principle. Energy stored in a small, air-cored inductor is employed to generate a current peak forcing the BJT to turn-on (10–20ns) very rapidly. The driver enables very high switching performance and very low switching losses of the driven BJT. Both the current source and the unit delivering the steady-state current to the base are supplied from the same low-voltage source in order to limit power consumption. Operation principles as well as selected design issues are discussed in the paper and illustrated by experiments. The 1200V/6A SiC BJT driven by the proposed circuit shows a very fast switching speed.