A Gate Driver Based Approach to Improving the Current Density in a Power Module by Equalizing the Individual Die Temperatures

The current sharing in a high current power module can have a dramatic impact on the total current handling capability of that power module. Hence, in an effort to improve the utilization of the individual dies within a power module, this paper explores a gate driver based approach which aims to equalize the virtual junction temperatures of its composite dies. The implementation of the die-level junction temperature estimation, the generation of a target temperature reference and the selective die activation to control the individual die losses is presented as the key enabling elements for the proposed gate driver and power module. Experimental results confirm the reduction in the peak die temperatures, and consequently, the current output is shown to be able to increase by a factor of 20%.