New gate drivers from Zetex switch power MOSFETs and IGBTs faster than IC alternatives
(Technology News, 08 May 2008 )
Zetex Semiconductors has announced a series of bipolar gate drivers for switching MOSFETs and IGBTs in power supplies and motor drives. Capable of sinking currents up to 9A, the low cost ZXGD3000 series enables faster charging and discharging of gate capacitances than is possible with gate driver ICs, resulting in more rapid switching times and greater circuit efficiency.
There are four high-speed non-inverting gate drivers in the series, covering a supply voltage range of 12V to 40V. Their fast switching emitter-follower configuration achieves propagation delays less than 2ns and rise/fall times of the order of 10ns, giving improved control of the MOSFET switching performance. The ZXGD3000s prevent latch-up and eliminate shoot-through, so helping to improve circuit reliability and improve EMI performance.
Available in the 6-leaded SOT23 package, the ZXGD3000 series gate drivers enable component count to be reduced and power densities to be increased. The devices' high current gain and low input current requirement allows direct interface with low power controller ICs, so removing the need for additional buffer circuitry.
Independent source and sink output pins provides designers with the flexibility to separately control gate rise and fall times. To greatly simplify printed circuit board layout and to help minimise trace inductance, the SOT23-6 package pin-out has been optimised, with a flow-through design approach putting inputs and outputs on opposite sides of the device.
