The first new TPSMB asymmetrical TVS diode provides superior gate driver protection for automotive SiC MOSFETs

Littelfuse Corporation is an industrial technology manufacturing company dedicated to powering a sustainable, connected and safer world. The company today announced the launch of the TPSMB Asymmetric TVS diode family, the first commercially available asymmetric transient voltage suppression (TVS) diode specifically designed to protect silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET gate drivers in automotive applications. This innovative product meets the growing demand for reliable overvoltage protection in next-generation electric vehicle (EV) systems, providing a compact unit solution that replaces the multiple Zener diodes or TVS components traditionally used for gate driver protection.

The TPSMB asymmetrical TVS diode family provides superior protection for SiC MOSFET gate drivers, which switch faster than traditional silicon-based MOSFETs or IGBTs and are therefore prone to overvoltage failures. The unique asymmetric design of the TPSMB family supports different positive and negative gate driver voltage ratings for SiC MOSFETs, ensuring higher performance in a variety of demanding automotive power applications using SiC MOSFETs, including:

-Car Charger (OBC)

-Electric vehicle traction inverter

-Input/output interface

-Vcc bus

These applications require SiC MOSFET gate drivers with high performance overvoltage protection (OVP) to ensure optimal performance, lifetime, and efficiency.

Charlie Cai, Director of product Management for Littelfuse's Protection business, highlighted the value the product brings to automotive engineers: "The TPSMB Asymmetric TVS diode family provides an innovative solution for SiC MOSFET gate driver protection, eliminating the need for multiple components and simplifying the design process for engineers. Its compact, reliable design ensures that critical automotive power systems are protected from overvoltage failures, supporting the continued development of electric vehicles and other high-performance applications."

-TPSMB Asymmetric series surface mount TVS diodes have the following key features and benefits:

-SiC MOSFET gate driver protection: replaces multiple Zener or TVS diodes, simplifies design and reduces component count;

-Asymmetric gate driver voltage protection: Designed to protect SiC MOSFET gate drivers that require different negative and positive voltage ratings;

-Compact design: The DO-214AA (SMB J-Bend) package makes it ideal for space-constrained automotive designs.

-Vehicle quality: Certified AEC-Q101 to ensure the highest reliability for automotive applications;

-High power loss: 600W peak pulse power loss (10×1000μs waveform) provides strong protection against transient overvoltage failures;

-Low clamp voltage: VC<10V@30A(8/20µs) for optimal negative grid drive protection;

-Wide frequency stability: Stable capacitance over a wide operating frequency range of up to 2 MHz, ideal for SiC MOSFET applications;

-Compatible with mainstream SiC MOSFETs: Suitable for Littelfuse and other market-leading automotive SiC MOSFETs.