CA3139966A1 - Electronic cigarette - Google Patents

Abstract

High accuracy current sense circuitry for power switching devices comprising GaN power transistors provides for current feedback functions, e.g. current loop control, over-current protection (OCP) and short-circuit protection (SCP). The current sense circuitry comprises a current mirror sense GaN transistor (Sense GaN) and a power GaN transistor (Power GaN) and a sampling circuit. The sampling circuit comprises first and second stage operational amplifiers to provide fast response and improved current sense accuracy, e.g.
better than 1%, over a range of junction temperatures Tj. The Sense GaN, Power GaN and first stage operational amplifier have a common ground referenced to a Kelvin Source of the Power GaN, so that the Sense GaN and Power GaN operate with the same gate-to-source voltage Vgs, to provide an accurate current ratio. Applications include current sensing for switching mode power supplies that need high speed and lossless current sense for current protection and feedback.

Description

HIGH ACCURACY CURRENT SENSING FOR GaN POWER SWITCHING
DEVICES
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to current sensing for power switching devices, e.g. for current control, overcurrent protection and short circuit protection for power switching devices and systems comprising GaN power transistors.
BACKGROUND

[0002] Fast, wide-bandgap semiconductor power devices, such as Silicon Carbide (SiC) or Gallium Nitride (GaN) power transistors require fast short circuit protection (SCP) and overcurrent protection (OCP). Industry standard OCP options for IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) are typically too slow for protecting faster GaN power switching devices.
For example, the thermal mass of a lateral GaN HEMT is small; e.g., during a short circuit or overcurrent, a lateral GaN HEMT may heat up very quickly and have a survival time of only 300 ns to 500 ns. An IGBT is typically more robust and can survive a few microseconds.

[0003] For example, the following methods for overcurrent/short circuit protection are known:
= De-saturation (DESAT) detection: widely used for IGBTs; may not meet the speed requirements for GaN devices and only be suitable for SCP.
= Current sense resistor: a low-cost solution, a current sense shunt resistor causes significant power loss in high current applications and adds parasitic inductance, which adversely affects switching performance.
= Di/dt detection by voltage sensing across a common source inductance: this approach is suitable for an IGBT module but not appropriate for GaN power switches in which it is desirable to minimize source inductance.
= Hall Effect sensor: based on magnetics.
= A current mirroring sense FET: a sensing cell of a power semiconductor device provides a current output to a current detection circuit.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23

[0004] For background information, document no. SLUA863 by Texas Instruments entitled "Understanding the Short circuit protection for Silicon Carbide MOSFETs", published January 2018-Revised May 2020, provides a summary of desaturation detection, shunt resistor current sensing, and SenseFET current sensing schemes for SiC MOSFETs vs.
IGBTs.

[0005] An article by John Roberts et al., (GaN Systems Inc.) entitled "Drive and protection methods for very high current lateral GaN power transistors" 2015 IEEE Applied Power Electronics Conference and Exposition (APEC) Charlotte N.C. 2015, pp. 3128-3131, provides background information relating to high speed current monitoring and short circuit protection for high current lateral GaN power transistors using a SenseGaN device comprising a small sense transistor in parallel with a GaN power transistor for drain voltage and drain current sensing. This reference identifies some limitations of conventional monitoring and protection solutions that are used for IGBTs and Si MOSFETs.

[0006] For example, there are challenges in providing fast accurate current sensing measurements for power switching devices comprising GaN power transistors over a wide range of operating temperatures and power ranges. For example, there is a need for solutions which provide high speed and lossless current sensing for feedback and protection for applications such as switching mode power supplies (SMPS).

[0007] There is a need for improved or alternative solutions for current control, overcurrent protection and short circuit protection for power switching devices and systems comprising GaN power transistors.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION

[0008] The present invention seeks to provide current sensing solutions, e.g.
for current monitoring and control, overcurrent protection and short circuit protection for power switching devices and systems comprising GaN power transistors, which address at least one of the above mentioned problems, or at least provide an alternative.

[0009] A first aspect of the invention provides a current sensing circuit for a power switching device comprising: a GaN power transistor and a GaN sense transistor, each having a drain, a source and a gate; and a sampling circuit;
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 the sampling circuit having first and second inputs and an output;
the GaN sense transistor being configured as a current minor with the drain of the GaN power transistor being connected to the drain of the GaN sense transistor, the gate of the GaN power transistor being connected to the gate of the GaN sense transistor, the source of the GaN sense .. transistor being connected to the first input of the sampling circuit to provide a current sense input Ies to the sampling circuit, and the source of the GaN sense transistor and the second input of the sampling circuit being connected to a Kelvin source of the GaN
power transistor, whereby the gate-to-source voltage of the GaN sense transistor and the gate-to-source voltage of the GaN power transistor are substantially the same;
to the sampling circuit being configured to convert the current sense input Ls to a first sense voltage Vsense and to amplify the first sense voltage Vsense to provide a second sense voltage VCs at the output of the sampling circuit.

[0010] When a small current sense GaN power transistor (Sense GaN) to sense current is connected in parallel with a high current GaN power transistor (Power GaN), the current sense ratio (Ids/Ics) ideally follows the on-state resistances Rdson and Rd ¨son es of the Power GaN and Sense GaN. The sampling circuit allows for current sensing by the sense transistor while ensuring that the relative transconductance of the GaN sense transistor and the GaN power transistor are substantially the same (e.g. effectively matched or equal), with the same transient characteristics. In contrast, in conventional SenseFET
solutions, when implemented using GaN power transistors, voltage drops across the sense resistor and stray inductance in the gate loop de-bias the gate of the sense transistor, so that the gate-to-source voltage of the sense transistor Vgs es is not equal to the gate-to-source voltage Vgs of the power transistor. If Vgs Vgs es, the transient characteristics are not the same, leading to poor current accuracy, and also, the on-state resistance of the sense GaN
transistor and the power GaN transistor has significant dependence on junction temperature Tj, which leads to poor current accuracy.

[0011] For example, the sampling circuit comprises a first stage and a second stage, the first stage being a current to voltage converter which receives the current Ies from the GaN sense transistor and outputs the first sense voltage Vsense; and the second stage being a voltage Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 amplifier which receives the sense voltage Vsense and outputs the second sense voltage Ves =n*Vsense=

[0012] The sampling circuit may be implemented with Operational Amplifiers (OpAmps) to improve the current sense accuracy with variable junction temperature (Tj).
The sampling circuit can be integrated within a monolithic SenseGaN or provided as an external Opamps circuit for discrete solutions.

[0013] In example embodiments, the current sensing circuit overcomes problems with conventional current sensing circuits comprising a SenseFET, in which parameter deviations at different junction temperatures (Tj) and differences in Vgs and Vgs es lead to poor accuracy, and significant dependence on junction temperature. A high accuracy current sense with GaN
transistors can be achieved for the current feedback functions such as current loop control, over current protection (OCP) and short circuit protection (SCP).

[0014] For example, in an embodiment, the sampling circuit comprises first and second stage operational amplifiers, the first stage operational amplifier being configured as a current to voltage converter with a feedback resistor Rcs, wherein its inverting input receives the current Ls from the GaN sense transistor and its non-inverting input is connected to the Kelvin source, to provide the first sense voltage Vsense at a first stage output;
the second stage operational amplifier being configured as a voltage amplifier with an amplification ratio n, which receives the sense voltage Vsense at its inverting input, and its non-inverting input is connected to the Kelvin source, to provide the second sense voltage VCs =n*Vsense at a second stage output.

[0015] The first stage amplifier senses current to provide a small voltage signal and the second stage amplifier amplifies the small voltage signal to a voltage signal meeting requirements of a device controller. This approach provides improved current sensing with temperature independence. For example, the current sensing circuit of example embodiments may be configured for at least one of current monitoring and feedback, and implementation of current protection functions such as overcurrent protection and short circuit protection.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23

[0016] For example, for a required maximum drain current Idmax for triggering current protection functions, the current sense resistor of the first stage, Res, is selected to provide the first sense voltage Vsense in a range from tens of mV to around 100mV, and Vsense is amplified to provide the second sense voltage Ves of ¨1V, e.g. 0.8V.

[0017] In an example embodiment, for a required maximum drain current Id max for triggering current protection functions, Res is selected to provide the first sense voltage Vsense in a range from tens of mV to around 100mV, and the second stage operational amplifier comprises first and second resistors R1 and R2 to provide an amplification ratio of R2/R1, and wherein R1 and R2 are trimmed to match Ves to a specified trigger voltage for a controller/driver for overcurrent protection or short circuit protection.

[0018] Since the second stage provides amplification of Vsense from the first stage, a relatively small current sense resistor Res may be used as the feedback resistor of the first stage operational amplifier. The amplification ratio of the second stage operational amplifier is selected to provide a suitable output voltage Vcs for current monitoring and protection functions. The second stage operational amplifier provides voltage amplification to reduce or minimize inaccuracy with temperature variations.

[0019] For example, for a required maximum drain current Id max for triggering current protection functions, and a specified on-resistance ratio Rdson es/Rdson for the GaN power transistor and the GaN sense transistor, the value of Res is selected to provide the first sense voltage Vsense in a range up to 100mV, and Vsense is amplified to provide the second sense voltage Ves, that is a specified trigger voltage for a controller/driver for overcurrent protection or short circuit protection. The value of Rcs is selected to be small enough to provide a current accuracy of better than 1%, while optimizing Vsense to be in a range of tens of millivolts to ¨100mV and with a suitable amplification ratio to provide a high enough Ves for a specified trigger voltage.

[0020] The current sensing circuit may be implemented with discrete or monolithically integrated components. For example, in some embodiments, the sense GaN
transistor and the Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 power GaN transistor may be monolithically integrated, and optionally the sampling circuit is monolithically integrated with the sense GaN transistor and the power GaN
transistor.

[0021] In other embodiments, the sense GaN transistor is discrete from the power GaN
transistor. For example, the sense GaN transistor may be discrete from the power GaN
transistor and the sense GaN transistor is monolithically integrated with the sampling circuit.

[0022] In operation, the output of the sampling circuit is connected to the current sense input of a controller/gate driver for driving the gates of the sense GaN transistor and the power GaN
transistor, to feed the second sense voltage Ves to the controller for implementing any one of current monitoring and feedback, overcurrent protection and short circuit protection.
.. [0023] The current sensing circuit is applicable to switch mode power supplies (SMPS), such as QR Flyback converters and Active clamp Flyback converters, and other SMPS
topologies requiring high speed and lossless current sense for current feedback and protection functions.
[0024] Current sensing circuits of example embodiments are described with reference to power switching devices comprising GaN transistors for the power transistor and sense resistor. It envisaged that high accuracy current sensing circuits of other embodiments may be implemented using power transistors based on other semiconductor technologies, e.g. Si MOSFETs and SiC MOSFETs.
[0025] Accordingly, another aspect of the invention provides current sensing circuit for a power switching device comprising: a power transistor and a sense transistor, each having a drain, source and gate, and a sampling circuit;
the sampling circuit having first and second inputs and an output;
the sense transistor being configured as a current minor with the drain of the power transistor being connected to the drain of the sense transistor, the gate of the power transistor being connected to the gate of the sense transistor, the source of the sense transistor being connected to the first input of the sampling circuit to provide a current sense input Ies to the sampling circuit, and the source of the sense transistor and the second input of the sampling circuit being connected to a Kelvin source of the power transistor, whereby the gate-to-source voltage of the GaN sense transistor and the gate-to-source voltage of the GaN power transistor are substantially the same;
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 the sampling circuit being configured to convert the current sense input Ies to a first sense voltage Vsense and to amplify the first sense voltage Vsense to provide a second sense voltage VCs at the output of the sampling circuit.
[0026] Semiconductor power switching devices are provided that provide high accuracy current sensing for power switching devices, e.g. comprising high current lateral GaN power transistors, for current feedback functions such as current loop control, over-current protection (OCP) and short circuit protection (SCP). In example embodiments, the current sense circuitry comprises a sense GaN transistor (Sense GaN) in parallel with the high current GaN power transistor (Power GaN) and a sampling circuit. The sampling circuit comprises operational amplifiers to provide fast response and improved current sense accuracy, over a range of junction temperatures Tj. Applications include current sensing for switching mode power supplies that need high speed and lossless current sense for current protection and feedback.
[0027] The foregoing and other features of aspects of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of some embodiments of the invention, which description is by way of example only.
[0028] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] Fig. 1 shows a circuit schematic for a quasi-resonant (QR) flyback power converter comprising a discrete GaN power transistor and a shunt resistor for current sensing;
[0030] Fig. 2 shows a photograph of a reference design example comprising a flyback power converter comprising a discrete GaN power transistor and shunt resistors;
[0031] Fig. 3 shows a circuit schematic for a QR flyback power converter comprising a power transistor having an integrated sense transistor which acts as a current mirror (SenseFET) and a current sense resistor Res;
[0032] Fig. 4A shows a circuit schematic comprising a SenseFET comprising a power transistor and a sense transistor, and a sense resistor Res and Fig. 4B shows a SenseFET
equivalent circuit;
[0033] Fig. 4C shows the dependence of the current sense voltage Vsense on the drain to source current Id and resistances of the equivalent circuit in equation (I); the relationship between Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 the gate-to-source voltage Vgs of the power transistor and the gate-to-source voltage Vgs es of the sense transistor in equations (2) and (3);
[0034] Fig. 5 shows an example of output characteristics for a 650V 150m1) GaN
transistor;
[0035] Fig. 6 is a schematic that illustrates that for current sensing with a SenseFET
comprising GaN transistors, different gate-to-source voltages for the sense transistor and the power transistor results in different transconductance for the power transistor and the sense transistor, which leads to an inaccurate current ratio and inaccurate power sense;
[0036] Fig. 7A shows an example 65W QR Flyback converter using a conventional current sensing circuit comprising a SenseFET and sense resistor Res; and Fig. 7B
shows plots of the drain current Id at junction temperatures Tj of 25 C and 125 C, and a plot of the accuracy as a function of the value of the current sense resistor Res of a conventional current sensing circuit comprising a SenseFET and sense resistor Res;
[0037] Fig. 8 shows a simplified circuit schematic of a high accuracy current sensing circuit comprising a GaN power transistor and a GaN sense transistor (SenseGaN) and a sampling circuit for implementing example embodiments for high accuracy current sensing (High Accuracy SenseGaN);
[0038] Fig. 9 shows a schematic functional block diagram of a high accuracy current sensing circuit comprising a GaN power transistor and a GaN sense transistor (SenseGaN), and a sampling circuit of first embodiment, wherein the sampling circuit comprises first and second stages;
[0039] Fig. 10 shows a circuit schematic of a high accuracy current sensing circuit comprising a GaN power transistor, a GaN sense transistor, and a sampling circuit of a second embodiment wherein the sampling circuit comprises first and second stages comprising first and second operational amplifiers;
[0040] Fig. 11 shows an example circuit design schematic for a high accuracy current sensing circuit comprising a GaN power transistor, a GaN sense transistor, and a sampling circuit comprising first and second operational amplifiers of the second embodiment, wherein design parameters are selected to provide OCP at a drain-source current Id of 3.2A;
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 [0041] Figs. 12A and 12B show waveforms for the drain source current Id, and sense voltages Vsense at the output of the first stage and current sense Ves at the output of the second stage of the sampling circuit, for different junction temperatures Tj of 25 C and 125 C
respectively;
[0042] Fig. 13A shows an example 65W QR Flyback converter and high accuracy SenseGaN
current sensing circuit of a third embodiment; and Fig. 13B shows plots of the drain current Id at junction temperatures Tj of 25 C and 125 C and accuracy as a function of the value of the current sense resistor Res for a high accuracy SenseGaN circuit of the third embodiment;
[0043] Fig. 14 shows a high current circuit design schematic for a high accuracy current sensing circuit comprising a GaN power transistor, a GaN sense transistor, and a sampling circuit of a fourth embodiment, configured for high power operation with implementation of OCP when Id reaches 200A; and [0044] Figs. 15A and 15B show waveforms for the drain-source current Id, sense voltage Vsense, and current sense voltage Ves at the output of the sampling circuit, for junction temperatures Tj of 25 C and 100 C, for the high accuracy SenseGaN circuit of Fig. 14.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0045] Fig. 1 shows a circuit schematic for a quasi-resonant (QR) flyback power converter comprising a discrete GaN power transistor switch and a shunt resistor for current sensing. A
shunt resistor provides fast, accurate current sensing, at low cost. However, the shunt resistor results in significant power losses in high power applications and introduces parasitic inductance of the resistor and its interconnections in the gate loop. As an example, Fig. 2 shows a photograph of a printed circuit board for a reference design comprising a 65W QR
flyback power converter comprising a discrete GaN power transistor (GaN
Systems GS-6511-1-L in a 5 x 6mm PQFN package), and 0.250 a shunt resistor comprising two surface mount pieces (in 1206 packages) in parallel.
[0046] Fig. 3 shows a circuit schematic for a quasi-resonant (QR) flyback power converter comprising a power transistor switch comprising a power transistor having an integrated Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 current mirror sense transistor (SenseFET transistor) and a current sense resistor Res connected between the source of the current mirror sense transistor and the source of the power transistor. Removing the shunt resistor from the power source connection of the power transistor provides for lossless current sensing, i.e. negligible losses.
[0047] Comparing the SenseFET solution shown in Fig.3, and the conventional solution with a shunt resistor shown in Figs. 1 and 2, for an RMS current of lA at 90Vac input, the shunt resistor loss is 0.25W, which is the same loss as the GaN transistor conduction loss (GS065011-1-L having Rdson 150010), and the efficiency drop is 0.4% for a 65W
QR Flyback converter.
[0048] Fig. 4A shows a circuit schematic comprising a SenseFET transistor comprising a power transistor (Power FET) and a sense transistor (Sense FET), to illustrate stray inductances in the power source loop and in the sense transistor gate-source loop. As illustrated schematically in Fig. 4A, providing a gate drive circuit that is referenced to a Kelvin source (KS) of the GaN power transistor as the ground reference for Vsense and the gate-to-source voltage (Vgs), avoids the power source stray inductance in the gate drive loop.
Fig. 4B shows a SenseFET equivalent circuit comprising a power transistor on-state resistor Rdson, a sense transistor on-state resistor Rdson cs, a current sense resistor Res, which, for a drain-to-source current of Id, generates a current sense voltage Vsense at the current sense output CS. Equation (1) in Fig. 4C shows the relationship of the current sense voltage Vsense on the drain to source current Ids and resistances of the equivalent circuit.
The feedback current sense voltage Vsense has a dependence on the on-state resistors Rdson and R A
cs.
Rdson and R A
cs are temperature dependent, which means that the current sense is not accurate for different junction temperatures Tj. As shown in equations (2) and (3) of Fig.
4C, there is a voltage drop on the sensing resistor Res (static), represented by ',saes, and a voltage drop on the parasitic inductance (dynamic), represented by Lediesidt.
Vgs = Vgs cs only if these voltage drops are negligible. In practice, the gate-to-source voltage Vgs for the power transistor is different from the gate-to-source voltage Vgs es for the sense transistor.
That is, the gate-to-source voltage Vgs es of the sense transistor is de-biased relative to the gate-to-source voltage Vgs of the power transistor, which results in different Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 transconductance characteristics for the power transistor and the sense transistor. If Vgs Vgs es, the transient characteristics of the sense transistor and the power transistor are not the same, leading to poor current accuracy, and also, the on-state resistance of the sense GaN
transistor and the power GaN transistor has significant dependence on junction temperature .. Tj, which leads to poor current accuracy.
[0049] As an example, Fig. 5 shows transistor output characteristics for an example GaN
power transistor which is a 650V 150m1) GaN transistor, for different gate voltages. For a senseFET implemented with GaN transistors, a different gate-to-source voltage Vgs for the GaN power transistor and Vgs es for the GaN sense transistor create different on-state resistances Rdson and Rdson es. Thus, since the current ratio is dependent on the ratio Rdson csi Rdson, the current ratio is affected by non-negligible voltage drops in the gate-source loop of the GaN sense transistor, which leads to an inaccurate current ratio and inaccurate current sensing.
[0050] As illustrated schematically in Fig. 6, if VgsVgs es, this leads to a different .. transconductance characteristics for the power GaN transistor and the sense GaN transistor, which causes different current ratios (Ids and Ics), which causes poor current sense accuracy, and also, the on-state resistance of the sense GaN transistor and the power GaN transistor have significant dependence on junction temperature Tj, which leads to poor current accuracy. (The transconductance is the ratio of the change in drain current to the change in gate voltage on a drain current vs. gate voltage curve).
[0051] To illustrate these issues, Fig. 7A shows an example 65W QR Flyback converter and Fig. 7B shows plots of the drain current Id required to trigger OCP at 25 C
and 125 C and accuracy as a function of the value of the current sense resistor Res of a conventional SenseGaN
circuit. In this example case, it is required to select Res to provide a Vsense of 0.8V to trigger OCP for a OCP current of 3.2A. Referring to the curve for Tj =25 C, a sense resistor of at least 1500 is required to trigger OCP at 3.2A. But, since this circuit is temperature dependent, for Tj=125 C, a sense resistor of 150 1 triggers OCP at only 1.75A. It is apparent that the accuracy is strongly dependent on the value of the sense resistor Res, and Vsense is significantly dependent on junction temperature.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 [0052] Fig. 8 shows a simplified circuit schematic of a high accuracy current sensing circuit comprising a GaN power transistor, a current mirror GaN sense transistor (labelled as SenseGaN), and a sampling circuit for implementation of example embodiments, which are referred to as "High Accuracy SenseGaN" current sensing circuits. A small current sensing GaN sense transistor is connected in parallel with a high current GaN power transistor with a common drain connection and a common gate connection. The sampling circuit receives the GaN sense transistor current Ins according to the current sense ratio (Ids/Ins) and outputs a current sense voltage VCs at output CS. The GaN sense transistor, the GaN
power transistor and the sampling circuit have a common ground connection referenced to the Kelvin Source (KS) of the GaN power transistor, as will be described in detail below, so that the current sense ratio (Ids/Ls) more accurately follows the ratio of on-state resistances Rdson to Rdson Cs of the GaN power transistor and GaN sense transistor.
[0053] The High Accuracy SenseGaN current sensing circuit may be implemented with monolithically integrated components, or discrete components, or a combination of discrete and integrated components. For example, in some embodiments, the current sensing circuit comprises a single monolithic die which comprises a GaN power transistor and a GaN sense transistor connected in parallel as described herein. The GaN sense transistor includes one or a small number of Sense GaN transistor cells in parallel with a plurality of Power GaN
transistor cells. The Sense GaN cells are implemented to sense current using a current mirror effect, the Power GaN cells handle the main power, and the current of the power stage is sensed by Sense GaN cell(s) according to the current sense ratio (Ids/Ls), which is proportionate to the gate width Wg of the Power GaN transistor and the gate width wg of the Sense GaN transistor.
[0054] In other embodiments, discrete GaN power transistors with different Rdson may be used: a smaller gate width, higher Rdson GaN power transistor acts as a Sense GaN for current sensing and a larger gate width, lower Rdson GaN power transistor acts as Power GaN for the main power stage.
[0055] High accuracy current sensing circuits of some example embodiments are described, wherein the sampling circuit is implemented comprising operational amplifiers (OpAmps), to Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 improve the current sense accuracy with variable junction temperature (Tj).
The sampling circuit can be integrated with a monolithic SenseGaN, or implemented as an external circuit with OpAmps for discrete solutions. The gate-to-source voltage Vgs es of the sense GaN
transistor and the gate-to-source voltage Vgs of power GaN transistor are referenced to the same ground with a Kelvin source (KS) connection, meaning that the transconductance of the sense GaN transistor and the power GaN transistor are the same, which provides high current mirror accuracy.
[0056] As illustrated in the simplified schematic block diagram shown in Fig.
9, in a high accuracy SenseGaN circuit of a first embodiment comprises first and second stages. The first stage of the sampling circuit comprises a first operational amplifier, which is configured as a current-to-voltage converter to generate an output voltage Vsense in response to the received current Ies, and a second stage of the sampling circuit comprises a second operational amplifier, configured to amplify the voltage Vsense and provide a current sense voltage output VCs, which is fed to the current sense input CS of the controller/ gate driver. The sampling circuit is configured to provide a current sense voltage output VCs having a suitable range of values, e.g.
0 to ¨1V, for implementation of one or more of drain current monitoring and control, overcurrent protection (OCP) and short circuit protection (SCP) by the controller/driver. A
supply voltage for the operational amplifiers may be provided by a LDO (low drop-out regulator). It is important that the GaN sense transistor and the GaN power transistor have a common gate-source ground, i.e. they are referenced to the Kelvin Source (KS) of the GaN
power transistor, and that the first stage of the sampling circuit is configured so that the transconductances for the GaN sense transistor and the GaN power transistor are the same, with the same transient characteristics.
[0057] Operation of high accuracy current sensing circuit of an example embodiment is described in more detail with reference to the circuit schematic shown in Fig.
10.
[0058] Fig. 10 shows a circuit schematic of a high accuracy current sensing circuit comprising a GaN power transistor, a GaN sense transistor, and a sampling circuit of a third embodiment High Accuracy SenseGaN current sensing circuit. The sampling circuit comprises a first stage comprising an operational amplifier, with a current sense resistor Res, configured as a current Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 to voltage converter, which is referenced to the Kelvin source (KS) of the GaN
power transistor, and a second stage operational amplifier for amplifying the output Vsense received from the first stage, using first and second resistors R1 and R2 in ratio of R2:R1, to provide a voltage output Vcs at output CS of the second stage. Both stages of sampling circuit are referenced to the Kelvin source KS of the power GaN transistor. The current sense resistor Res of the first stage is chosen to have a small value to provide an output voltage of the first stage Vsense in an appropriate range, e.g. a maximum value in the range of ¨10mV to ¨100mV. The first and second resistors R1 and R2 of the second stage OpAmp provide an appropriate amplification ratio R2/R1, e.g. ¨10 to 100, to provide a Ves output in a suitable range, e.g.
¨1V, to meet requirements of the controller/driver for a specified voltage of the current sense signal Ves to trigger protection functions.
[0059] As shown in Fig. 10, in the first stage, the source of the current sense transistor is referenced to the Kelvin source of the power transistor, and the sensed current Ls from the sense transistor is fed to the inverting terminal of the first OpAmp while the non-inverting .. terminal of the OpAmp is also reference to the Kelvin source (KS). The first stage, e.g. first OpAmp, is configured as current-to-voltage converter that generates a small negative current sense output voltage Vsense. For example, the current sense resistor may be selected to provide a first sense voltage Vsense in a range from e.g. 0 to VsenseMaX of ¨10mV. The first stage ensures that the Sense GaN and Power GaN have a common gate-source ground, Kelvin Source (KS), so that the transconductances for Sense GaN and Power GaN
are the same with the same transient characteristics.
[0060] The second stage of the sampling circuit comprises the second OpAmp configured as a voltage amplifier, which receives Vsense and generates an amplified output voltage, VCs at an appropriate level, e.g. in a range 0 to Vesmax ¨1V. It provides voltage amplification to minimize the inaccuracy with the variation of temperature. VCs is fed back to current sense input CS of the controller and gate driver for current monitoring, or to implement protection functions, e.g. OCP and/or SCP if VCS exceeds a threshold value. The required trigger voltage depends on the controller. Resistors (R1 and R2) may be trimmed to amplify Vsense to provide a VCs which matches the value of trigger voltage to the controller for OCP or SCP.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 [0061] Fig. 11 shows an example circuit design schematic for simulation of a high accuracy current sensing circuit comprising a GaN power transistor, a GaN sense transistor, and a two stage sampling circuit, with a table listing parameters for an example scenario, to demonstrate overcurrent protection at junction temperatures Tj of 25C and 125C. These temperatures represent examples for room temperature operation and high temperature operation. In this example design, the power GaN transistor has an on-resistance Rdson of 0.30 and the sense GaN transistor has on-resistance Rd ¨son es of 300 0, to provide an Rdson es/Rd son ratio of 1000.
Thus, ideally Ies/Ids = 1/1000. The circuit is configured to provide overcurrent protection at Id = 3.2A, i.e. to trigger OCP when Ls reaches 32mA. Using a current sense resistor Res of 30, this results in Vsense of close to -10mV when It reaches 3.2A. Vsense is then amplified by the second stage amplifier. In this example R1=11c11 and R2=161c11 to provide an amplification factor of R2/R1=80, which provide a VCS output of 0.8V to the controller/driver to trigger OCP
when Id reaches 3.2A.
[0062] Figs. 12A and 12B show example waveforms for the current sense circuit of Fig. 11.
Fig. 12A shows the waveforms for the drain source current Id, and the sense voltage Vsense at the output of the first stage of the sampling circuit, and the current sense VCS at the output of the second stage of the sampling circuit, for a junction temperature Tj of 25 C. Fig. 12B shows corresponding waveforms for a junction temperature of 125 C. At turn-on, the first stage of the sampling circuit receives Ies at the inverting terminal of the OpAmp and generates a small negative output signal Vsense which is -Ies* Res. Vsense is fed to the inverting terminal of the second stage OpAmp and to provide Ves=Vsense*R2/R1, which is fed to the current sense terminal of the controller and driver, for current monitoring, or for implementing OCP or SCP
if Ves reaches a threshold value to trigger protection. In this example, parameters are selected so that, as illustrated by the waveforms in Figs. 12A and 12B, when the drain current Id reaches the OCP limit of 3.2A (i.e. Ies=32mA), Ves reaches a threshold of 0.8V which triggers the controller and gate driver to implement OCP. Notably, almost the same overcurrent protection is achieved with different junction temperatures Tj of 25 C and 125 C.
[0063] These circuit implementations for high accuracy current sensing, comprising a GaN
sense transistor and a GaN power transistor and a sampling circuit, address current sense Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 accuracy problems of conventional senseFET circuits, which result from some parameter deviations of junction temperature (Tj) and gate-to-source voltage (Vgs). A
high accuracy current sense with GaN transistors can be achieved for current feedback functions such as, current loop control, over current protection (OCP) and short circuit protection (SCP).
[0064] To illustrate benefits of a High Accuracy SenseGaN current sense circuit over a conventional SenseGaN current sense circuit for an example 65W flyback converter, Fig. 13A
shows an example 65W QR Flyback converter wherein the GaN transistor switch comprises a high accuracy SenseGaN current sensing circuit. Fig. 13B shows plots of the drain current Id at 25 C and 125 C, and accuracy as a function of the value of the current sense resistor Rcs for the high accuracy SenseGaN current sensing circuit. The plots for the drain current vs.
value of the sense resistor Res at 25 C and 125 C are almost identical (the blue and red plot lines overlap), i.e. are substantially temperature independent. A current sense accuracy of better than 1% is achieved for sense resistor values over the range from 10 to 50, and is independent of junction temperature over a range of 25 C and 125 C. For example, based on the design example shown in Fig. 11, to provide a current sense output voltage Vcs of 0.8V
to the controller, to implement OCP at 3.2A, a small 30 current sense resistor is needed. An accuracy of 0.5% is achieved for junction temperatures of 25 C and 125 C.
[0065] It has also been demonstrated that the high accuracy SenseGaN current sensing circuit is scalable for switching devices over a range of powers, e.g. for current protection in a range of a few amps to hundreds of amps.
[0066] For example, Fig. 14 shows an example circuit design schematic for a high accuracy current sensing circuit of another embodiment, comprising a GaN power transistor, a GaN
sense transistor, and a sampling circuit for high power operation, for overcurrent protection when Id reaches 200 Amp. The GaN sense transistor is a GaN Systems G5065-004-1-L
transistor having an on-resistance Rdson es of 0.450 and the GaN power transistor is a GaN
Systems G5065-150-1-D, having an on-resistance Rd ¨son of 0.010. Fig. 14 includes a table listing parameters for an example scenario, to demonstrate overcurrent protection at junction temperatures of 25 C and 100 C, i.e. to represent examples for room temperature operation and high temperature operation. Both the GaN power transistor and GaN sense transistor have Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 a 2.2 times temperature coefficient for the temperature range from 25 C to 100 C. In this example embodiment, which is configured to provide OCP when the drain current Id reaches 200A, i.e. when Ies = 200/45=4.5Amp, a first stage of the sampling circuit comprises a first operational amplifier with feedback resistor Res of 11.5m0 to provide a sense voltage Vsense of -50mV. The 50mV Vsense is fed to a second stage comprising an operational amplifier configured as a voltage amplifier with resistors R1 =11c11, and R2=161c11, for an amplification ratio of 16, to generate a current sense voltage output Vcs of 0.8V which is fed to the controller to trigger OCP.
[0067] Figs. 15A and 15B shows waveforms for the drain source current Id, and the sense voltage Vsense, and the amplified current sense voltage Ves at the output of the second stage of the sampling circuit, for junction temperatures Tj of 25 C and 100 C
respectively. Almost the same overcurrent protection is achieved with different junction temperatures.
[0068] Current sensing circuits of example embodiments have been described which provide lossless, high accuracy and fast current sensing. Use of a sampling circuit comprising first and second stage operational amplifiers increases current accuracy.
[0069] The high accuracy current sensing circuit may be implemented with an integrated SenseGaN transistor or with discrete components, i.e. a discrete power GaN
transistor and discrete sense GaN transistor, and a separate sampling circuit. The sampling circuit may be integrated with the SenseGaN transistor. The sampling circuit may be integrated with the controller/driver.
[0070] The current accuracy is improved, for different junction temperatures and different gate-to-source voltage Vgs. In one example embodiment comprising a QR flyback AC/DC
converter, simulation and calculation demonstrates an accuracy of 1%
atjunction temperatures of 25 C and 125 C.
[0071] Applications of the high accuracy current sense circuit include switch mode power supplies which benefit from high speed and lossless current sensing. This circuit topology is scalable for low power (e.g. <100W), such as AC/DC adapters for smartphones, tablets and PCs, and medium and high power applications, e.g. 500W to kW range, for example, telecom datacentre power supplies, on-board chargers for electric vehicles, et al.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 [0072] Reliability and efficiency are improved relative to using a high current shunt resistor (e.g. see Fig. 10 or a conventional SenseFET and sense resistor circuit (e.g.
see Fig 3). For the example design of a charger comprising a 65W QR flyback converter, efficiency is improved by greater than 0.5%. Alternatively, if a lower cost SenseGaN transistor, e.g.
higher Rdson, is .. used to decrease BOM costs, since losses from a high current shunt resistor are eliminated, the same efficiency can be maintained.
[0073] High current accuracy is achieved with fast response, for any one of current monitoring and feedback control, overcurrent protection and short circuit protection.
Applications include current sensing for switching mode power supplies that need high speed .. and lossless current sense for current protection and feedback. By using a high accuracy SenseGaN current sensing circuit comprising a sampling circuit, similar efficiency gains can be realized for QR and ACF switching topologies. More generally, the high accuracy current sensing circuit can be applied to other switch mode power electronics topologies, such as AC/DC and DC/DC converters.
[0074] Current sensing circuits of example embodiments have been described with reference to power switching devices comprising GaN transistors, which for example, may be lateral GaN HEMTs. In other embodiments, it is envisaged that current sensing circuits providing high accuracy current sensing may be applicable to power switching devices comprising power transistors based other semiconductor technologies, e.g. Si MOSFETs and SiC
MO SFETs .
[0075] Although embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated in detail, it is to be clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and not to be taken by way of limitation, the scope of the present invention being limited only by the appended claims.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23

Claims (16)

19

1. A current sensing circuit for a power switching device comprising: a GaN
power transistor and a GaN sense transistor, each having a drain, a source and a gate; and a sampling circuit;
the sampling circuit having first and second inputs and an output;
the GaN sense transistor being configured as a current mirror with the drain of the GaN power transistor being connected to the drain of the GaN sense transistor, the gate of the GaN power transistor being connected to the gate of the GaN sense transistor, the source of the GaN sense transistor being connected to the first input of the sampling circuit to provide a current sense input Ies to the sampling circuit, and the source of the GaN sense transistor and the second input of the sampling circuit being connected to a Kelvin source of the GaN
power transistor, whereby the gate-to-source voltage of the GaN sense transistor and the gate-to-source voltage of the GaN power transistor are substantially the same;
the sampling circuit being configured to convert the current sense input Ies to a first sense voltage Vsense and to amplify the first sense voltage Vsense to provide a second sense voltage Ves at the output of the sampling circuit.

2. The current sensing circuit of claim 1, wherein the sampling circuit comprises a first stage and a second stage, the first stage being a current to voltage converter which receives the current Ies from the GaN sense transistor and outputs the first sense voltage Vsense; and the second stage being a voltage amplifier which receives the sense voltage Vsense and outputs the second sense voltage Ves =n*Vsense.

3. The current sensing circuit of claim 1, wherein the sampling circuit comprises first and second stage operational amplifiers, Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 the first stage operational amplifier being configured as a current to voltage converter with a feedback resistor Res, wherein its inverting input receives the current Ies from the GaN sense transistor and its non-inverting input is connected to the Kelvin source, to provide the first sense voltage Vsense at a first stage output;
the second stage operational amplifier being configured as a voltage amplifier with an amplification ratio n which receives the sense voltage Vsense at its inverting input, and its non-inverting input is connected to the Kelvin source, to provide the second sense voltage Ves =n*Vsense at a second stage output.

4. The current sensing circuit of claim 3, wherein, for a required maximum drain current Idmax for triggering current protection functions, and a specified on-resistance ratio Rdson cs/Rdson for the GaN power transistor and the GaN sense transistor, the value of Res is selected to provide the first sense voltage Vsense in a range up to 100mV, and Vsense is amplified to provide the second sense voltage Ves that is a specified trigger voltage for a controller/driver for overcurrent protection or short circuit protection.

5. The current sensing circuit of claim 4, wherein the value of Res is selected to be small enough to provide a current accuracy of better than 1% while optimizing Vsense and Ves to provide the specified trigger voltage.

6. The current sensing circuit of claim 3, wherein, for a required maximum drain current Idmax for triggering current protection functions, Res is selected to provide the first sense voltage Vsense in a range from tens of mV to around 100mV, and Vsense is amplified to provide the second sense voltage Ves of ¨1V

7. The current sensing circuit of claim 3, wherein the amplification ratio of the second stage is in a range from ¨10 to ¨100.

8. The current sensing circuit of claim 3, wherein Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23 for a required maximum drain current Idmax for triggering current protection functions, Res is selected to provide the first sense voltage Vsense in a range from tens of mV
to around 100mV, and the second stage operational amplifier comprises first and second resistors R1 and R2 to provide an amplification ratio of R2/R1, and wherein R1 and R2 are trimmed to match Ves to a specified trigger voltage for a controller/driver for overcurrent protection or short circuit protection.

9. The current sensing circuit of claim 1, wherein the sense GaN
transistor and the power GaN transistor are monolithically integrated.

10. The current sensing circuit of claim 9, wherein the sampling circuit is monolithically integrated with the sense GaN transistor and the power GaN transistor.

11. The current sensing circuit of claim 1, wherein the sense GaN
transistor is discrete from the power GaN transistor.

12. The current sensing circuit of claim 11, wherein the sense GaN
transistor is discrete from the power GaN transistor and the sense GaN transistor is monolithically integrated with the sampling circuit.

13. The current sensing circuit of claim 1, wherein the output of the sampling circuit is connected to the current sense input of a controller/gate driver for driving the gates of the sense GaN transistor and the power GaN transistor, to feed the second sense voltage Ves to the controller for implementing any one of current monitoring and feedback, overcurrent protection and short circuit protection.

14. The current sensing circuit of claim 1 providing a current accuracy of better than 1%, which is substantially independent of junction temperature over a range of 25 C to 125 C.

15. A flyback converter comprising the current sensing circuit of claim 1.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23

16. A
switch mode power supply comprising the current sensing circuit claim 1.
Date Recue/Date Received 2021-11-23