New Industry Products

Isolated 2A Gate Driver for IGBTs, GaN and SiC

November 14, 2016 by Power Pulse1595211359

Previewed during last week's electronica 2016 event, the ADuM4121 / ADuM4121-1 are 2A isolated, single-channel drivers that employ Analog Devices, Inc.'s iCoupler® technology to provide precision isolation. The ADuM4121 / ADuM4121-1 provide 5 kV rms isolation in the wide-body, 8-lead SOIC package. Combining high speed CMOS and monolithic transformer technology, these isolation components provide outstanding performance characteristics superior to alternatives such as the combination of pulse transformers and gate drivers. Applications are expected to include: switching power supplies; isolated IGBT/MOSFET gate drives; industrial inverters; GaN and SiC power devices.

The ADuM4121 / ADuM4121-1 operate with an input supply ranging from 2.5V to 6.5V, providing compatibility with lower voltage systems. In comparison to gate drivers that employ high voltage level translation methodologies, the ADuM4121/ ADuM4121-1 offer the benefit of true, galvanic isolation between the input and the output.

The ADuM4121 / ADuM4121-1 include an internal Miller clamp that activates at 2V on the falling edge of the gate drive output, supplying the driven gate with a lower impedance path to reduce the chance of Miller capacitance induced turn on.

Features and specifications include: Multiple UVLO options on VDD2, Grade A with 4.4V (typical) UVLO on VDD2, Grade B with 7.3V (typical) UVLO on VDD2 and Grade C with 11.3V (typical) UVLO on VDD2; Precise timing characteristics with 53ns maximum isolator and driver propagation delay; CMOS input logic levels; High common-mode transient immunity of >150 kV/μs; High junction temperature operation of 125 degrees C; Default low output; and wide-body 8-lead SOIC packaging.

Safety and regulatory approvals (pending) include: UL recognition per UL 1577, with 5 kV rms for 1-minute withstand; CSA Component Acceptance Notice 5A; VDE certificate of conformity (pending) to DIN V VDE V 0884-10 (VDE V 0884-10): 2006-12, with VIORM = 849 V peak.

Options exists to allow the thermal shutdown to be enabled or disabled. As a result, the ADuM4121/ADuM4121-1 provide reliable control over the switching characteristics of IGBT and MOSFET configurations over a wide range of switching voltages.