Gate Driver Protection Methods for SiC MOSFET Short Circuit Testing

Short Circuit testing can cause stress to gate drivers, but common, current gate driver protection methods do not offer sufficient protection to the test circuit. Simulations were created to demonstrate that the methods using Zener diodes or a gate-source capacitor can be implemented in addition to the common gate protection methods resulting in an accurate, equivalent test performance with the added benefit of additional protection. The Zener diode method can be useful in determining failures during turn-off or turn-on of a device. The gate-source capacitor solution offers an economical and simple solution to additional gate driver protection.