PCB based transformer for power MOSFET drive

Power MOSFET and IGBT gate drives often face isolation and high voltage constraints. The gate drive described uses a printed circuit board based transformer combined with the memory effect of the power MOSFET input capacitance. This transformer is a bidirectional link between the ground referred control IC and the floating gate drive. It transfers energy and signal to the gate drive, provides full duty cycle range, perfect dV/dt immunity and virtually no voltage constraint. No floating auxiliary is required for the secondary circuit. If the short circuit protection is operated, an alarm signal is transmitted back to the primary through the same transformer. This circuit is perfectly suited to drive floating and/or isolated switches in motor drives, uninterruptible power supplies and AC switches. Due to the printed winding approach, cost reduction can be expected in the transformer manufacture automation.<
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