Active gate controlled SiC transfer switch for fault tolerant operation of ISOP multicellular dc-dc converter

An active gate controlled power transfer switch using SiC-MOSFET is proposed to achieve the fault tolerant operation of ISOP (Input Series and Output parallel) multicellular dc-dc converter. The SiC-MOSFET with high temperature capability simplifies the configuration of the protection circuit, and the control of its on-resistance by the active gate control realizes the smooth protection without the voltage and the current surges. The first laboratory prototype of the power transfer switch is developed by using a pair of a SiC-MOSFET and a high frequency buck chopper for the active gate controller. The effectiveness of the proposed transfer switch is verified, taking the impact of the volume reduction into account.