In order to meet the latest design and application requirements, Infineon has launched a new generation of dual-channel isolated gate driver ICs to enhance the system performance of SMPS designs. Now, 3.3kW switch power supplies (SMPS) can reach a power density of 100W/inch3 by adopting new technologies such as Super-Junction (SJ Silicon) power MOSFETs and Silicon Carbide (SiC) power MOSFETs in the totem-pole PFC stage, as well as Nitride Gallium (GaN) power switches that can meet the requirements of high-voltage DC-DC power conversion. Digital control of PFC and DC-DC is as important as an excellent gate driver solution to improve efficiency and enhance robustness.
EiceDRIVER Isolated Gate Driver IC
Infineon has launched a new generation of EiceDRIVER Isolated Gate Driver IC product series with multiple under-voltage lock-out (UVLO) threshold options and isolation levels and uses innovative packaging technology to provide complete solutions for various applications. The new product portfolio combines industry-standard robust isolation technology and excellent electrical parameters, enabling efficient and reliable operation over a wide temperature range to extend the device's lifetime.
Source: Infineon
Compared with the previous generation, the new generation EiceDRIVER introduces the DSO 14-pin package, which can increase the creepage distance between channels. The built-in dead-time control and breakdown protection functions can shorten the UVLO startup time (from the original 5μs to 2μs), not only speeding up the startup speed of SMPS, but also avoiding the saturation state of the main power transformer.
This series adopts powerful isolation technology that meets industry-level device-level isolation standards (VDE 0884-11, IEC 60747-17), and also adopts a highly compact LGA 4x4 mm2 package, which can save up to 36% of space in low voltage applications. The innovative package design eliminates unused or previously called "unconnected" pins, enhancing the isolation level between channels and the flexibility of PCB layout, thereby reducing the difficulty for designers to develop circuits.
Source: Infineon
Developers have also integrated electrical isolation technology that has passed IEC 60747-17 into the gate driver IC, which means that the service life of these products can reach 20 years and meet the requirements of safety standards. The second-level safety mechanism of the new generation gate driver IC is the built-in configurable breakdown (STP) and dead-time control (DTC) in the hardware.
In addition, these ICs have a special output clamp circuit to realize active output clamping function, which can quickly suppress output noise even when the channel is "not working". This versatile approach can prevent dangerous half-bridge short events during self-starting in the case where the gate driver power is still lower than the UVLO opening threshold.
Based on the performance improvements of this series, it has a wide range of applications, including server and telecom SMPS, solar inverters and energy storage systems, motor drives, and battery-powered applications, electric vehicle charging and high-performance computing, etc.
Dual-channel Isolated Gate Driver ICs
Dual-channel Isolated Gate Driver ICs are integrated circuits that provide a high level of electrical isolation between the input and output stages for driving power switches like MOSFETs and IGBTs. They are used in applications where high voltage, high power, and high noise immunity are required, such as switching power supplies, motor drives, and other power conversion applications.
The isolation provided by these drivers ensures that the input and output stages are isolated from each other, preventing any current or voltage from one circuit from affecting the other. These drivers also provide a high level of noise immunity, preventing noise from interfering with signal transmission between the input and output stages. Additionally, they feature integrated protection mechanisms that protect the driver from over-voltage, over-current, and thermal overload conditions.