Measurement, Analyses and Discussion on Noise Induced on Gate Driver Logic Signal Traces in Medium Voltage SiC-based Power Converters

The fast-switching speed of the silicon-carbide (SiC) devices, along with the needs for higher power, higher voltage, and higher power density, gives rise to more salient EMI challenges. Unlike the converter-level noise emissions, the noise inside the power converter (such as that on gate drivers) has no standard to follow, however, the gate driver is prone to be false triggered by the noise. Based on the noise propagation model proposed in the prior study, this paper shows more detailed noise measurements and quantitative analysis for the noise propagation between the PCB grounds and logic signal traces on gate driver PCB, and reveals more influential factors of the noise propagation. Several practical approaches to ensure measurement fidelity are adopted, and noise measurement and analyses under more practical test conditions are conducted and discussed to provide general design guidelines. The methodology is further expanded to be more generic by including other di/dt sources inside a power converter.