PI introduces highly reliable SCALE-iDriver gate drives with AEC-Q100 Automotive certification

     Power Integrations, a well-known company in the field of gate driver technology for medium and high voltage inverter applications, introduces the automotive grade SID1181KQ SCALE-iDriver™ gate driver for IGBTs rated at 750V. Following the introduction of the 1200V SID1182KQ driver IC, the new device expands the company's range of automotive grade driver ics.

     Compact, efficient and highly reliable, the new driver IC uses Power Integrations' high-speed FluxLink communication technology to ensure system safety even in case of failure. FluxLink technology greatly improves the reliability and insulation of new AEC-Q100 compliant gate drivers, replacing optocouplers and capacitive or silicon-based inductive coupling solutions. SCALE-iDriver devices also have important protection features such as desaturation monitoring, primary and secondary undervoltage protection (UVLO), and advanced soft Shutdown (ASSD), which provide switching protection during short-circuit shutdowns.

     Michael Hornkamp, Senior Marketing Director for Automotive Gate Drive products at Power Integrations, said: "The SCALE-iDriver product family with FluxLink technology provides a safe, reliable and cost-effective design for a wide range of IGBT drives in electric vehicle applications, including powertrains, on-board chargers and charging stations, and other high-reliability drives and inverters."

     The SCALE-iDriver IC minimizes the number of peripheral components required, eliminates the need for tantalum capacitors and electrolytic capacitors, and simplifies the isolated power supply by requiring only one transformer secondary winding. Simple double-layer PCBS can be used to further simplify design and streamline supply chain management.