The advanced electrically isolated gate driver STGAP3S provides flexible protection for IGBTs and SiC MOSFETs

     STMicroelectronics' STGAP3S series of silicon carbide (SiC) and IGBT power switching gate drivers incorporate ST's latest robust electrical isolation technology, optimized desaturation protection and flexible Miller clamp architecture.

     STGAP3S uses enhanced capacitance isolation between the gate drive channel and the low-voltage control and interface circuit, with a transient isolation voltage (VIOTM) of 9.6kV and a common mode transient immunity (CMTI) of 200V/ns. By using this advanced electrical isolation technology, STGAP3S improves the reliability of industrial motor drives such as air conditioning, factory automation, and home appliances. The new drives are also suitable for power and energy applications, including charging stations, energy storage systems, power factor correction (PFC), DC-DC converters and solar inverters.

     The STGAP3S product family offers developers a choice of different product models, including products with drive currents of 10A and 6A, both of which have different undervoltage locking (UVLO) and desaturation intervention thresholds. Help designers select the driver that best matches the performance of their chosen SiC MOSFETs or IGBT power switching tubes.

     The desaturation protection function realizes the overload and short circuit protection of the external power switching tube. The switching off strategy of the power switching tube can be adjusted using an external resistor, and the switching off speed can be adjusted to maximize the protection function and avoid excessive overvoltage spikes. Undervoltage lock protection prevents turn-on when the drive voltage is low.

     The driver integrated Miller clamp architecture provides a pre-driver for the external n-channel MOSFETs. Therefore, the designer has the flexibility to choose the appropriate intervention speed to prevent induction conduction and avoid cross conduction.

     Existing product models include drives capable of 10A pull/fill current and 6A pull/fill current, desaturation detection optimized for IGBT or SiC, and UVLO thresholds that allow developers to maximize the performance of their power switches of choice. Failure conditions for desaturation, UVLO and overheat protection are notified to the controller via two dedicated leak diagnosis pins.