A Dual Channel Push Pull Clamped-Interlock Resonant Gate Driver for the Secondary-Side MOSFETs of LLC-DCX

The LLC dc transformer (LLC-DCX), due to its soft-switching characteristics, achieves high-efficiency energy transfer at high frequencies and is extensively used in high power density applications. However, the drive loss of conventional drive integrated circuits (ICs) is proportional to the switching frequency, leading to disproportionately high gate drive loss at higher frequencies, thereby limiting further increases in the LLC-DCX switching frequency. In this article, a dual channel push pull clamped-interlock resonant gate driver (DPCRGD) is introduced for driving the secondary-side metal-oxide -semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFETs) of LLC-DCX. The proposed DPCRGD provides two complementary driving signals for LLC-DCX. Compared to conventional voltage source drivers and existing research, the RGD presented here demonstrates lower drive loss and a smaller footprint. This article details the operational principles, loss analysis, parameter optimization design, and comparative studies of the DPCRGD. Ultimately, a prototype operating at 1.3 MHz with an output power of 48 V-6V/30 A was developed. Experimental results validate the effectiveness of the proposed DPCRGD, showing a reduction of gate drive power loss by nearly 88% and a 49% decrease in footprint compared to conventional voltage source driving circuits.