Gate drive evaluation platform brings Sic efficiency to HEVs and data centres
Design cycles of SiC-based power converters to exploit the energy-efficiency of SiC in data centres, hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and industrial applications can be reduced using the Littelfuse gate drive evaluation platform, says the company,
It has been introduced to help designers evaluate SiC MOSFETs, SiC Schottky diodes and other peripheral components like gate driver circuitry, so that they can better understand how silicon carbide (SiC) technologies will behave in converter applications under continuous operating conditions.
The gate drive evaluation (GDEV) platform offers quick connect header pin terminals that allow for rapid and consistent comparison of different gate drive circuits, unlike most other SiC evaluation platforms, points out Littelfuse. The LF-SIC-EVB-GDEV1 supports an 800V DC link input voltage and up to 200kHz switching frequency.
Typical markets and applications for the LF-SIC-EVB-GDEV1 include automotive EV and HEV charging stations, industrial power supplies, data centre servers, telecomms basestations and solar or wind power inverters.
“The GDEV is a critical addition to our SiC technology portfolio because SiC is still relatively new and there are some unknowns surrounding the operating characteristics under various conditions,” said Corey Deyalsingh, director, Power Control at Littelfuse. “The GDEV helps engineers understand the operating characteristics of SiC devices. By utilising this evaluation platform, designers will be better informed about the incredibly energy efficient opportunities that SiC technologies present”.
The LF-SIC-EVB-GDEV1 enables users to evaluate continuous operation of SiC power MOSFETs and diodes under rated voltage and rated current, delivering real power to the load. It can also be used to analyse system-level impacts associated with SiC-based designs including efficiency improvements, EMI emissions and passive components (size, weight, cost). Developers can also compare the performance of different gate driver solutions under well-defined and optimised test conditions. Finally, developers can test gate driving circuits under continuous working conditions to evaluate gate driver thermal performance and EMI immunity.
Requests for the LF-SIC-EVB-GDEV1 gate drive evaluation platform can be placed through authorised Littelfuse distributors worldwide.
