Smart Gate Driver Photocoupler with Embedded Protection Features

Toshiba America Electronic Components, Inc. (TAEC) today announced that it has enhanced its portfolio of photocouplers with the addition of a smart gate driver photocouplerk with a peak output current of 4A. Housed in a thin SO16L package, the new TLP5214 is suited to driving medium-power IGBTs and power MOSFETs. Used to protect circuits between electronic devices or to block noise by electrically isolating the input and output blocks, photocouplers are a suitable choice for industrial applications that will be installed in electrically noisy environments. Combined with Toshiba's high-reliability infrared LED, the TLP5214 is suited for a wide range of applications including those that require high thermo-stability such as factory automation, home photovoltaic power systems, digital home appliances and UPS.

A maximum propagation delay time of 150ns and a propagation delay skew of ±80ns are provided within the defined operating temperature range (up to 110 degrees C), to reduce dead time in the inverter circuit for improved operating efficiency. The TLP5214 integrates many functions to prevent the IGBT from reaching overcurrent conditions, including: IGBT desaturation detection, active miller clamp and FAULT detection.

With the ability to detect and handle malfunctions in a single chip, the TLP5214 helps improve power efficiency and reduce overall system cost. The SO16L package provides a creepage distance of 8mm (min), suitable for applications that require higher isolation specifications. It has the additional benefit of being only 2.3mm (max) in height.