IP Library Granted Patent US 10,389,230
Granted Patent B2
US 10,389,230 · App. 15/903,710 · Granted Aug 20, 2019

Power semiconductor device and snubber circuit thereof

Inventors: Saijun Mao (Shaghai, CN); Stefan Schroeder (Bavaria, DE); Jingkui Shi (Shanghai, CN); He Xu (Shaghai, CN); Marius Michael Mechlinski (Garching, DE); Bo Qu (Shanghai, CN); Zhihui Yuan (Garching, DE); Yingqi Zhang (Shanghai, CN); Jie Shen (Shanghai, CN)
Assignee: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
H02M1/34H02M3/158H03K17/08142H03K17/102H02M2001/344H02M2001/348
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,389,230
App. No.
15/903,710
Granted
Aug 20, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a snubber circuit which comprises a static snubber unit, connected in parallel with the switch, for balancing a static voltage sharing across a switch when the switch is in a state of turn-on or turn-off; and a dynamic snubber unit for balance a dynamic voltage sharing across the switch when the switch is in a process of turn-on or turn-off, comprising a dynamic voltage sharing capacitor connected in parallel with the switch and having a relationship between a capacitance and a voltage of the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor; and a controller for controlling the capacitance of the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor to be in a predetermined working area of capacitance rising while the voltage across the switch is increasing. The present disclosure also relates to a power semiconductor device.

Claims (26)

1. A snubber circuit for a switch, comprising:

a static snubber unit, connected in parallel with the switch, for balancing a static voltage sharing across the switch when the switch is in a state of turn-on or turn-off; and

a dynamic snubber unit for balance a dynamic voltage sharing across the switch when the switch is in a process of turn-on or turn-off, comprising:

a dynamic voltage sharing capacitor connected in parallel with the switch and having a relationship between a capacitance and a voltage of the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor; and

a controller for controlling the capacitance of the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor to be in a predetermined working area of capacitance rising while the voltage across the switch is increasing, the controller comprising:

a receiver for receiving a voltage across the switch;

a calculator for determining the capacitance of the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor based on the received voltage across the switch from the relationship between the capacitance and the voltage of the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor; and

a regulator for regulating a gate driving signal provided to the switch so that the capacitance of the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor is in the predetermined working area when the determined capacitance of the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor exceeds the predetermined working area.

2. The snubber circuit of claim 1 , wherein the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor is controlled to operate in a range of 0 nF to 100 nF.

3. The snubber circuit of claim 1 , wherein the dynamic snubber unit further comprises:

a damping resistor, connected in series with the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor, for damping current oscillations across the switch.

4. The snubber circuit of claim 1 , wherein the static snubber unit comprises at least one static voltage sharing resistor.

5. A power semiconductor device, comprising:

at least two series-connected switches; and

at least two snubber circuits, wherein each of the at least two snubber circuits is connected in parallel with one of the at least two series-connected switches and each of the at least two snubber circuits comprises:

a static snubber unit, connected in parallel with the switch, for balancing a static voltage sharing across the switch when the switch is in a state of turn-on or turn-off; and

a dynamic snubber unit for balance a dynamic voltage sharing across the switch when the switch is in a process of turn-on or turn-off, comprising:

a dynamic voltage sharing capacitor connected in parallel with the switch and having a relationship between a capacitance and a voltage of the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor; and

a controller for controlling the capacitance of the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor to be in a predetermined working area of capacitance rising while the voltage across the switch is increasing, the controller comprising:

a receiver for receiving a voltage across the switch;

a calculator for determining the capacitance of the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor based on the received voltage across the switch; and

a regulator for regulating a gate drive signal provided to the switch when the determined capacitance of the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor exceeds the predetermined working area.

6. The power semiconductor device of claim 5 , wherein the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor is controlled to operate in a range of 0 nF to 100 nF.

7. The power semiconductor device of claim 5 , wherein the dynamic snubber unit further comprises:

a damping resistor, connected in series with the dynamic voltage sharing capacitor, for damping current oscillations across the switch.

8. The power semiconductor device of claim 5 , wherein the static snubber unit comprises at least one static voltage sharing resistor.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 14, 2023
From: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
To: GE ENERGY POWER CONVERSION TECHNOLOGY LIMITED
Reel/Frame 066000/0704 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 24, 2018
From: MAO, SAIJUN; SCHROEDER, STEFAN; SHI, JINGKUI; XU, HE; MECHLINSKI, MARIUS MICHAEL; QU, BO; YUAN, ZHIHUI; ZHANG, YINGQI; SHEN, JIE
To: GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY
Reel/Frame 045889/0455 →
Priority Claims (1)
CN 2017 1 0206579 · Mar 31, 2017 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20180287487A1 · Oct 4, 2018