Relationship Between Carrier Frequency and Dead Time

— Why Dead-Time Design Becomes Critical at High Switching Frequencies —

1. Introduction

In power converters such as inverters and DC–DC converters, PWM control is used to switch power devices at high speed. Two key design parameters always appear in this context:

• Carrier frequency (switching frequency)

• Dead time

Carrier frequency strongly affects output ripple, filter size, and control bandwidth, while dead time is essential for safe operation. Although these parameters may seem independent, they are in fact closely related, and the influence of dead time becomes increasingly significant as the carrier frequency increases.

This article explains the relationship between carrier frequency and dead time, focusing on practical design considerations.