Segmented Insulated Gate Power Device with Independent Drivers
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Solution Overview
Problem
High current/high voltage insulated-gate power devices experience significant losses due to conduction and switching, with existing technologies unable to effectively minimize these losses across varying load currents.
Innovation Solution
Dividing cells into segments with separate driver circuits, allowing for optimal activation of segments based on load current to balance conduction and switching losses, and using binary weighted segments to reduce the number of drivers and minimize losses.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of energy
If cells are divided into segments with separate driver circuits, then switching losses are reduced, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the cellular structure into multiple independently controllable segments, each with its own driver circuit. This allows selective activation of only the necessary number of segments based on load current requirements, thereby minimizing both conduction losses (by activating enough segments to handle the load) and switching losses (by keeping unused segments off).
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs binary-weighted segment sizing where each segment is designed with a specific number of cells corresponding to binary weights (1, 2, 4, 8, etc.). This parameter optimization reduces the total number of driver circuits needed while maintaining the ability to achieve various current levels, thereby reducing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A design technique is disclosed that divides up a cellular power switch into different size segments. Each segment is driven by a different driver circuit. The selection of the combination of segments is made to minimize the combined conduction and switching losses of the power switch. For example, for very light loads, switching losses dominate so only a small segment is activated for driving the load. For medium and high load currents, conduction losses become more significant, so additional segments are activated to minimize the total losses. In one embodiment, the number of cells in the segments is binary weighted, such as 1×, 2×, and 4×, so that there are seven different combinations of segments. The drivers may be configured to achieve the same or different slew rates of the segments, such as to reduce transients. The segments may all be in the same die or a plurality of dies.