Analysis and design of a latching current limiter based on a SiC N-MOSFET

Latching current limiters (LCLs) are circuits used for electrical load control on spacecrafts. They provide enhanced current protection, improving reliability. Traditional implementations often used P-MOSFETs as the main current limiter device. However, new wide bandgap materials (WGB) offer the possibility to operate at higher voltages and, allegedly, temperatures. This work presents a complete architecture for a LCL based on a SiC N-MOSFET. The main parts of the architecture with the basic design guidelines are shown. Finally, experimental results for a class 10 LCL, using the proposed architecture is displayed, for bus voltages of 100 V.