Slew rate control of a 600 V 55 mΩ GaN cascode

This paper presents a 600 V, 55 mS GaN cascode with slew rate control. The time constants of cascodes which determine the switching speed are analyzed, discussed and verified by time domain simulations. Clamped inductive switching measurements of commercial and a custom-built GaN cascodes prove the applicability of the switching speed control mechanisms with additional passive components. The gathered experiences are applied to a custom-built modular cascode, which shows simple switching speed controllability by utilizing a standard gate drive.