A Bidirectional-Signal Transmission Method for Gate Drive Application using Single Isolation Transformer

Gate drivers with galvanically isolation capability are essential for switching devices in high-voltage applications. The conventional magnetic isolated gate drive uses separate isolation channels to transmit power, gate drive signal and fault feedback signal, thus increasing both the overall volume and the cost. In order to simplify the gate drive circuit, a novel self-powered gate driver with a single isolation transformer that supports bidirectional signal transmission is proposed in this paper. Experimental results verify that the proposed gate driver exhibits very short transmission delay of approximately 65ns, and supports gate driver signal frequency of 100 kHz with duty cycle ranging from 3% to 97%. Additionally, the feedback signal is capable of distinguishing between different types of faults.