STMicroelectronics Announces Isolated Gate Drivers for Safe Control of Silicon Carbide MOSFETs

     STGAP2SiCS can generate a gate drive voltage up to 26V, increasing the under-voltage lockout (UVLO) threshold voltage to 15.5V, meeting the normal turn-on requirements of SiC MOSFET switches. If the drive voltage is too low due to a low supply voltage, the UVLO protection mechanism will ensure that the MOSFET is turned off to avoid excessive dissipated power. The driver has dual two input pins, allowing designers to define the polarity of the gate drive signal.

     The STGAP2SiCS is designed with 6kV electrical isolation between the input section and the gate drive output, which helps ensure electrical safety in consumer electronics and industrial equipment. The 4A current sink/source drive capability makes it suitable for high-power converters, power supplies and inverters of high-end household appliances, industrial drives, fans, induction cookers, electric welding machines, UPS uninterruptible power supplies and other equipment.

     The new product is available in two different output configurations. The first configuration provides separate output pins that can be independently optimized for on-off time using dedicated gate resistors. The second configuration is suitable for high frequency hard switching, with only one output pin and an active Miller clamp circuit, which is used to limit the SiC MOSFET gate-source voltage swing, prevent the switch from turning on unnecessarily, and Enhanced switch reliability. The input circuit is compatible with CMOS/TTL logic level signals as low as 3.3V and can be easily connected to various controller chips.

     The STGAP2SiCS features a standby mode that helps reduce system power consumption and has internal protection features including hardware interlocks and thermal shutdown that prevent cross-conduction between low-voltage sections and high-voltage drive channels. Propagation delays between low and high voltage circuits are precisely matched to prevent cycle distortion and minimize power loss. The total propagation delay is less than 75ns, and precise pulse-width modulation (PWM) control supports high switching frequencies.the STGAP2SiCS is housed in a wide-body SO-8W package, which ensures a creepage distance of 8mm within a limited area.