KR102448125B1 - High voltage pulse power supply and operation method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a high voltage pulse power supply and an operation method of the high voltage pulse power supply. The high voltage pulse power supply includes n semiconductor switches having a semiconductor switch stack structure connected in series. The high voltage pulse power supply comprises: a pulse generator which generates an on or off gate pulse; n/2 gate transformers, each of which has a single turn high voltage cable as a primary side, and which receive the on or off gate pulse from the pulse generator through the primary side and transmit the on or off gate pulse through a secondary side; and n gate driving units which convert the on or off gate pulses transmitted through the gate transformers into gate signals and transmit the signals to the n semiconductor switches, respectively. The primary side windings of the n/2 gate transformers have a structure that the high voltage cable, wound as a single turn, passes through the n/2 gate transformer cores and can be connected to an output terminal of the pulse generator. Therefore, the present invention can control multiple semiconductor switches, which have a serial stack structure, to synchronize simultaneously.

Description

High voltage pulse power supply and operation method thereof

The present invention relates to a high voltage pulsed power supply and a method of operating the same.

In general, semiconductor switch-based high voltage pulse application technology can be applied to a wide variety of fields such as environment, national defense, and medical care. In order to drive a high-voltage semiconductor switch of a series stacking structure, it is a major consideration to transmit a gate signal synchronized with insulation to each switch. A separate auxiliary circuit was added.

However, when a conventional separate optical signal or auxiliary circuit is used, additional elements and circuits are required, and the gate driving circuit has a relatively complicated operating principle due to the additional elements and circuits.

In addition, the same number of isolated power supplies as the number of switches may be required to transmit isolated gate driving signals to several switch elements. This becomes a disadvantage of causing an increase in volume and unit cost.

An object of the present invention is to provide a high voltage pulsed power supply and a method of operating the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a high voltage pulse power supply capable of simultaneously controlling a plurality of semiconductor switches having a series stack structure synchronously and an operating method thereof.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a high voltage pulse power supply device capable of simultaneously implementing high voltage insulation and synchronization using a high voltage cable and a plurality of small gate transformers, and an operating method thereof.

According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus capable of simultaneously implementing high voltage insulation and synchronization using a high voltage cable and a plurality of small gate transformers.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, n semiconductor switches-the n semiconductor switches have a semiconductor switch stack structure connected in series; a pulse generator for generating an on or off gate pulse; n/2 gate transformers having a single-turn high voltage cable as a primary side, receiving the on or off gate pulses of the pulse generator through the primary side and transmitting them through the secondary side; and n gate drivers for converting the on or off gate pulses transmitted through the gate transformer into gate signals and transmitting them to the n semiconductor switches, respectively, of the n/2 gate transformers. The primary winding has a structure in which the high voltage cable is wound to pass through n/2 gate transformer cores in a single turn, and is connected to the output terminal of the pulse generator. A high voltage pulse power supply may be provided. .

Each of the n gate drivers includes first and second Zener diodes for clamping and controlling or maintaining the magnitude of the gate signal applied to the semiconductor switch; a capacitor operating as a storage capacitor for storing an on or off gate pulse input through the gate transformer; and a resistor connected to the capacitor.

Each of the gate drivers operates in a turn-on mode as an on-gate pulse is applied through the gate transformer, and a positive voltage is applied to the gate terminal of the semiconductor switch connected in response to the on-gate pulse. is applied, and the capacitor is charged, wherein the first Zener diode is in a reverse bias state and the second Zener diode is in a forward bias state.

The gate driving unit, after each operation in the turn-on mode, if an on gate pulse is not applied from the gate transformer until an off gate pulse is applied from the gate transformer, the capacitor is discharged and turned -Applying an on voltage to the gate terminal of the connected semiconductor switch and operating in a turn-on maintenance mode, wherein the voltage of the capacitor and the gate voltage of the connected semiconductor switch are as large as the breakdown voltage of the second Zener diode in reverse conduction state It may be clamped to maintain a turn-on state.

Each of the gate drivers may apply a turn-off voltage to the gate terminal of the semiconductor switch as an off gate pulse is applied through the gate transformer, and the capacitor may be discharged to operate in a turn-off mode. .

When the off gate pulse disappears from each of the gate drivers, the gate voltage of the semiconductor switch and the voltage of the capacitor are clamped to the breakdown voltage of the first Zener diode, and when the on gate pulse of the next turn is applied Turn-off state can be maintained until

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of driving a high voltage pulse power supply is provided.

In the driving method of a plurality of semiconductor switches configured in a series stack structure in a high voltage pulse power supply, a positive voltage is applied to a gate terminal of a semiconductor switch according to an on gate pulse applied through a single-turn high voltage cable, turning on the semiconductor switch and charging the capacitor; and as the on gate pulse disappears, until an off gate pulse is applied, the capacitor is discharged and a turn-on voltage is applied to the gate terminal of the semiconductor switch to maintain a turn-y state. A method of driving a series stacking-based semiconductor switch comprising a may be provided.

The method may further include applying a turn-off voltage to the gate terminal of the semiconductor switch as the off gate pulse is applied, and discharging the capacitor.

When the off gate pulse is not applied, the gate voltage of the semiconductor switch and the voltage of the capacitor are clamped to the breakdown voltage of the Zener diode, and the turn-off state is maintained until the On gate pulse of the next turn is applied. It may further include the step of maintaining.

By providing a high voltage pulse power supply device and a driving method thereof according to an embodiment of the present invention, there is an advantage in that it is possible to simultaneously control a plurality of semiconductor switches having a series stack structure.

In addition, the present invention has an advantage in that high voltage insulation and synchronization can be simultaneously implemented using a high voltage cable and a plurality of small gate transformers.

In addition, the present invention has the advantage that high-density fabrication is possible.

1 is a structural diagram of a high voltage pulse power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a circuit diagram of a gate driver according to an embodiment of the present invention;
3 is a view showing a current flow in a turn-on mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a diagram illustrating a current flow in a turn-on maintenance mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing a current flow in a turn-off mode according to an embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a diagram illustrating a simulation result of a gate driver according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a diagram illustrating a pulse discharge simulation result of a series stack-based high voltage semiconductor switch to which a gate driver is applied according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of driving a plurality of semiconductor switches configured in a series stack structure of a high voltage pulse power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a diagram illustrating each configuration of a gate driver according to an on or off gate pulse and a pulse waveform of a semiconductor switch according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As used herein, the singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In this specification, terms such as “consisting of” or “comprising” should not be construed as necessarily including all of the various components or various steps described in the specification, some of which components or some steps are It should be construed that it may not include, or may further include additional components or steps. In addition, terms such as "...unit" and "module" described in the specification mean a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which may be implemented as hardware or software, or a combination of hardware and software. .

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a structural diagram of a high voltage pulse power supply according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of a gate driver according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a turn-on according to an embodiment of the present invention. A view showing the current flow in the mode, FIG. 4 is a view showing the current flow in the turn-on maintenance mode according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a current flow in the turn-off mode according to an embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a diagram showing simulation results of a gate driver according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a series stack-based high voltage semiconductor switch to which a gate driver according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a view showing a pulse discharge simulation result, and FIG. 9 is a view illustrating each configuration of a gate driver according to an on or off gate pulse and a pulse waveform of a semiconductor switch according to an embodiment of the present invention .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the high voltage pulse power supply 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a semiconductor-based switch (hereinafter referred to as a semiconductor switch) such as an IGBT or a MOSFET to handle a high voltage ranging from several tens to several hundreds of kV. ) is configured in a series stack structure.

In addition, an RC sburner circuit may be formed at both ends of the plurality of semiconductor switches for voltage balancing.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a high voltage cable and n/2 gate transformers are used to turn on or off a plurality of semiconductor switches configured in a series stack structure at the same time, and a short width On (On) )/Off gate pulses can be used to prevent saturation of multiple transformers.

Referring to FIG. 1 , a high voltage pulse power supply device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a pulse generator 110 , n/2 gate transformers 120 , a plurality of gate drivers 130 , and a plurality of semiconductor switches. (140) is included.

The pulse generator 110 is a means for generating an on or off gate pulse having a short pulse width and supplying it to the primary side of the plurality of gate transformers 120 .

The plurality of gate transformers 120 have a single-turn high voltage cable as a primary side, and receive an On or Off gate pulse supplied from the pulse generator 110 through the primary side and a gate driver through the secondary side. It can be passed to (130).

The primary side winding of the n/2 gate transformer 120 has a structure in which a high voltage cable is wound to pass through the n/2 gate transformer core in a single turn, and may be connected to an output terminal of the pulse generator 110 .

In this way, n/2 gate transformers 120 are configured to have a single-turn high-voltage cable as the primary side, so that the on or off gate pulses of the pulse generator 110 are the single-turn high-voltage cables. It is simultaneously supplied to n/2 gate transformers 120 through the n/2 gate transformer 120 , and an on or off gate pulse may be provided to the gate driver 130 through the secondary side.

Each gate driver 130 is connected to each gate transformer, and each gate driver 130 converts the on or off gate pulse transmitted through the gate transformer 120 into a gate signal. It can be transmitted to each connected semiconductor switch.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the gate driver 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include first and second Zener diodes ZD1 and ZD2 210 and 215 , capacitors and resistors.

The first and second Zener diodes ZD1 and ZD2 clamp and adjust or maintain the magnitude of the gate voltage applied to the semiconductor switch 140 .

The capacitor 220 serves as a storage capacitor for storing an on gate pulse or an off gate pulse input through the gate transformer 120 .

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the gate driver 130 may be operated in a turn-on mode, a turn-on maintenance mode, and a turn-off mode according to an on or off gate pulse.

3 to 5 illustrate current paths according to the turn-on mode, the turn-on sustain mode, and the turn-off mode. 3 to 5 , each operation mode will be described.

The turn-on mode will be described with reference to FIG. 3 .

An on gate pulse may be applied to each gate driver 130 through the secondary side of the n/2 gate transformers 120 having a single-turn high voltage cable as the primary side.

In this turn-on mode, as shown in FIG. 3 , a positive current may be applied to the gate terminal of the semiconductor switch connected through the gate driver 130 .

In addition, the capacitor (C) 220 serving as a storage capacitor may be charged while the turn-on voltage is applied to the gate terminal of the semiconductor switch according to the on gate pulse.

The first and second Zener diodes provided in each gate driver 130 are reverse biased according to the current flow (referred to as a forward current flow for convenience) as shown in FIG. 3 , 2 The Zener diode is forward biased.

Accordingly, the gate voltage of each semiconductor switch connected to each gate driver 130 may have a magnitude obtained by subtracting the breakdown voltage of the first Zener diode ZD1 from the on gate pulse voltage of 30V.

In other words, when an on gate pulse is applied to each gate transformer 120 through the primary winding of the single-turn high voltage cable, it is transmitted to each gate driver 130 through the secondary side, and accordingly, the semiconductor switch At the same time as the turn-on voltage of 140 is applied, the capacitor provided in each gate driver 130 may be charged by the reverse bias voltage of the Zener diode.

When the on gate pulse disappears (if not applied) after the turn-on mode, each gate driver 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention generates an Off gate pulse through a charged capacitor and a Zener diode. It may operate in a turn-on maintenance mode until it is applied.

This will be described with reference to FIG. 4 .

When the on gate pulse disappears after the turn-on mode, the charged capacitor 220 is discharged and the turn-on voltage is applied to the gate terminal of the semiconductor switch.

The voltage of the capacitor 220 and the gate voltage of the semiconductor switch may be clamped and maintained as much as the breakdown voltage of the second Zener diode ZD2 in the reverse conduction state.

After the turn-your maintenance mode, when an off gate pulse is applied to each gate transformer 120 through the primary winding of a single-turn high voltage cable, the turn is transmitted to each gate driver 130 through the secondary side. -Off mode can be operated.

When an off gate pulse is applied through the gate transformer 120 to each gate transformer 120 through the primary winding of the single-turn high voltage cable, as shown in FIG. 5, the current flows in the turn-on mode and flows in the opposite direction, and the semiconductor switch 140 is turned off.

A turn-off voltage is applied to the gate terminal of the semiconductor switch 140 by subtracting the breakdown voltage of the second Zener diode ZD2 in the reverse bias state from the magnitude of the off gate pulse voltage, and the capacitor C ( 220) may be discharged.

After the turn-off mode, the turn-off state may be maintained until the next on gate pulse is applied. This will be explained. When the off gate pulse disappears, the gate voltage of the semiconductor switch and the voltage of the capacitor (C) 220 are clamped to the breakdown voltage of the first Zener diode ZD1 and turn until the next On gate pulse is applied. -off state can be maintained.

6 is a diagram illustrating a simulation result of a gate driver according to an embodiment of the present invention.

로 게이트 변압기(120)의 포화를 방지할 수 있다. 온(On)/오프(Off) 게이트 펄스의 폭과 반복율을 조절하여 반도체 스위치 스택의 출력 펄스의 펄스 폭과 반복율을 가변할 수 있다. The pulse generator 110 generates on/off gate pulses of +30V and -30V magnitudes, and the pulse width of each pulse is about

Saturation of the raw gate transformer 120 can be prevented. By adjusting the width and repetition rate of the on/off gate pulses, the pulse width and repetition rate of the output pulses of the semiconductor switch stack may be varied.

As shown in FIG. 6 , as the gate voltage of each semiconductor switch, it is confirmed that a voltage in the form of an on/off gate pulse is applied in the form of a turn-on/off voltage suitable for each semiconductor switch through the capacitor and Zener diode of the gate driver. can

7 is a diagram illustrating a pulse discharge simulation result of a series stack-based high voltage semiconductor switch to which a gate driver is applied according to an embodiment of the present invention.

, 반복율 100Hz(주기 10ms), 100옴 저항 부하 조건에서의 시뮬레이션 결과를 나타낸 것이다. In FIG. 7, 12 IGBTs (semiconductor switches) are configured in series to simulate a 10kV 100A pulse discharge situation by applying a gate driver and an RC burner, and the output pulse width is

, shows the simulation results under the conditions of a repetition rate of 100 Hz (period of 10 ms) and a 100 ohm resistive load.

Each configuration of the gate driver according to the turn-on mode, the turn-on maintenance mode, and the turn-off mode according to the on or off gate pulses and the pulse waveform of the semiconductor switch are as shown in FIG. 9 .

8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of driving a plurality of semiconductor switches configured in a series stack structure of a high voltage pulse power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In step 810, the high voltage pulse power supply device 100 supplies an on gate pulse through a single-turn high voltage cable.

In step 815 , the high voltage pulse power supply device 100 transmits the on gate pulse supplied through the primary side of the gate transformer through the single turn high voltage cable to the gate driver through the secondary side.

In step 820 , in the high voltage pulse power supply device 100 , as an on gate pulse is applied, a positive voltage is applied to the gate terminal of the semiconductor switch, the semiconductor switch is turned on, and the capacitor is charged.

In step 825, the high voltage pulse power supply device 100 is turned on by applying the turn-on voltage to the gate terminal of the semiconductor switch until the capacitor is discharged until the off gate pulse is applied as the on gate pulse disappears. -Keep the status quo.

In step 830 , in the high voltage pulse power supply device 100 , as an OFF gate pulse is applied, a turn-off voltage is applied to the gate terminal of the semiconductor switch, and the capacitor is discharged.

In step 835 , when the off gate pulse is not applied, the high voltage pulse power supply device 100 clamps the gate voltage of the semiconductor switch and the voltage of the capacitor to the breakdown voltage of the Zener diode, so that the on gate of the next turn The turn-off state is maintained until a pulse is applied.

Up to now, the present invention has been looked at focusing on the embodiments thereof. Those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention pertains will understand that the present invention may be implemented in a modified form without departing from the essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the disclosed embodiments should be considered in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The scope of the present invention is indicated in the claims rather than the foregoing description, and all differences within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being included in the present invention.

100: high voltage pulse power supply
110: pulse generator
120: gate transformer
130: gate driver
140: a plurality of semiconductor switches based on a series stack structure

Claims (10)

n semiconductor switches, wherein the n semiconductor switches have a semiconductor switch stack structure connected in series;
a pulse generator for generating an on or off gate pulse;
n/2 gate transformers having a single-turn high voltage cable as a primary side, receiving the on or off gate pulses of the pulse generator through the primary side and transmitting them through the secondary side; and
Including n gate driving units for converting an On or Off gate pulse transmitted through the gate transformer into a gate signal and transmitting each to the n semiconductor switches,
The primary winding of the n/2 gate transformer has a structure in which the high voltage cable is wound to pass through the n/2 gate transformer core in a single turn, and is connected to the output terminal of the pulse generator. pulsed power supply.
The method of claim 1,
Each of the n gate drivers,
first and second zener diodes clamping and controlling or maintaining the magnitude of the gate signal applied to the semiconductor switch;
a capacitor operating as a storage capacitor for storing an on or off gate pulse input through the gate transformer; and
and a resistor connected to the capacitor.
The method of claim 1,
RC sburner circuits are respectively formed at both ends of the n semiconductor switches.
3. The method of claim 2,
Each of the gate drivers,
Operated in turn-on mode as an on gate pulse is applied through the gate transformer,
A positive voltage is applied to the gate terminal of the connected semiconductor switch in response to the on gate pulse, and the capacitor is charged,
and the first Zener diode is in a reverse bias state, and the second Zener diode is in a forward bias state.
5. The method of claim 4,
Each of the gate drivers
If an on gate pulse is not applied from the gate transformer after operating in the turn-on mode, the capacitor is discharged until an off gate pulse is applied from the gate transformer, and a semiconductor connected to a turn-on voltage It is applied to the gate terminal of the switch and operates in turn-on maintenance mode,
and the voltage of the capacitor and the gate voltage of the connected semiconductor switch are clamped to a magnitude equal to the breakdown voltage of the second Zener diode in reverse conduction state to maintain a turn-on state.
3. The method of claim 2,
Each of the gate drivers,
A high voltage pulse power supply device, characterized in that as an off gate pulse is applied through the gate transformer, a turn-off voltage is applied to the gate terminal of the semiconductor switch, and the capacitor is discharged to operate in a turn-off mode .
7. The method of claim 6,
Each of the gate drivers,
When the off gate pulse disappears, the gate voltage of the semiconductor switch and the voltage of the capacitor are clamped to the breakdown voltage of the first zener diode and turn-off until the on gate pulse of the next turn is applied. High voltage pulse power supply, characterized in that it maintains.
A method of simultaneously driving a plurality of semiconductor switches formed in a series stack structure in a high voltage pulse power supply, comprising:
a step of applying a positive voltage to a gate terminal of a semiconductor switch according to an on gate pulse applied through a single-turn high voltage cable to turn on the semiconductor switch, and charging a capacitor; and
maintaining a turn-on state by discharging the capacitor and applying a turn-on voltage to a gate terminal of the semiconductor switch until an off gate pulse is applied as the on gate pulse disappears;
applying a turn-off voltage to a gate terminal of the semiconductor switch as the off gate pulse is applied, and discharging the capacitor; and
When the off gate pulse is not applied, the gate voltage of the semiconductor switch and the voltage of the capacitor are clamped to the breakdown voltage of the Zener diode, and the turn-off state is maintained until the On gate pulse of the next turn is applied. A method of driving a semiconductor switch based on a series stack structure, comprising maintaining.

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