Balanced gate driver for paralleled SiC and GaN power
This patent covers a circuit design for running two high-power transistors side by side (in parallel) so that they share the electrical load evenly and switch on and off in sync. The trick is connecting a specific low-current terminal on each transistor—called the Kelvin source—together through an inductive coupling, while also using carefully balanced inductors on the gate control lines. This prevents one transistor from hogging current or switching at a different time than its partner, which is a common failure point in high-power electronics. The result is a more reliable, thermally balanced power stage that can handle larger currents than a single transistor alone.
What you could build
A gate driver circuit module or reference design for power electronics manufacturers building high-current inverters, motor drives, or EV charging systems; buyers would be power electronics IC and module makers, as well as EV drivetrain and industrial motor drive OEMs seeking to parallel wide-bandgap (SiC/GaN) transistors reliably.
Who in Virginia should care
Defense contractors and shipbuilding suppliers in the Hampton Roads area working on high-density power conversion, plus data center power supply companies in Northern Virginia's tech corridor.
Readiness: Prototype likely
Concept — described but not yet demonstrated. Lab validated — supported by experimental results in the patent. Prototype likely — the text describes a built, working embodiment.
Readiness is inferred from the patent text, not from a lab visit.
The record
- Inventors
- Yincan MAO, Chi-Ming WANG, Zichen MIAO, Khai NGO
- Granted
- October 30, 2018
- Status
- Granted patent
- Patent number
- 10116303
Ready to talk?
Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties handles licensing for this technology.
Prosim summaries are generated from public patent text and are not legal advice.