Abstract
Abstract—A gate buffer fabricated in a 2-μm 4H silicon carbide
(SiC) process is presented. The circuit is composed of an input
buffer stage with a push–pull output stage, and is fabricated using
enhancement mode N-channel FETs in a process optimized
for SiC power switching devices. Simulation and measurement results
of the fabricated gate buffer are presented and compared for
operation at various voltage supply levels, with a capacitive load
of 2 nF. Details of the design including layout specifics, simulation
results, and directions for future improvement of this buffer
are presented. In addition, plans for its incorporation into an isolated
high-side/low-side gate-driver architecture, fully integrated
with power switching devices in a SiC process, are briefly discussed.
This letter represents the first reportedMOSFET-based gate buffer
fabricated in 4H SiC.
