PI Introduces SCALE EV, Automotive-Grade IGBT/SiC Module Driver Product Family

     Power Integrations, a well-known company in the field of gate driver technology for medium and high voltage inverter applications, announced the launch of the SCALETM EV series gate driver boards for Infineon EconoDUALTM modules. The new drives are equally suitable for original, knock-off and other new SiC-based derivative modules in applications ranging from electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles (including buses and trucks) to high-power vehicles and traction for construction, mining and agricultural equipment inverter.

     The SCALE EV board-level gate driver integrates two enhanced gate drive channels, associated power supply and monitoring telemetry circuitry. The new drive board is automotive grade certified and ASIL B certified to enable ASIL C traction inverter designs. The first released member of the SCALE EV family is the 2SP0215F2Q0C, designed for the EconoDUAL 900A 1200V IGBT half-bridge module.

     Peter Vaughan, director of automotive business development at Power Integrations, said: "Gate driver design is critical to both the performance and reliability of electric vehicles. Our new product, which has been developed, tested and validated, and ASIL certified, will significantly reduce system size. Development time and cost.”

     The innovative new driver IC has a very high level of integration, allowing the entire driver board, including the gate supply, to be sized exactly to the power module, while still providing the spacing required for reinforced insulation according to IEC 60664. The ASIC package provides 11.4mm of creepage and clearance to safely meet 800V automotive system voltage requirements. The input and output lines of the system microcontroller are connected through two separate on-board connectors to meet functional safety requirements. Only a separate 5V supply is required for each channel, and the other required isolated output voltages are generated on the board.

     The SCALE EV gate driver product family has a withstand voltage rating of 1200V, is suitable for 400V and 800V systems, and supports both silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs and silicon-based IGBT switches. It is designed to meet the 5500-meter altitude requirement, and a conformal coating service option is available to meet technical cleanliness requirements. The new product has obvious advantages in design, with complete protection measures, integrating active short circuit, active discharge of connected DC bus capacitors, overvoltage limitation through active gate control, as well as gate monitoring, signal transmission monitoring and on-chip For diagnostic functions such as temperature monitoring, the short-circuit and over-current response times of SiC MOSFET switches are less than 1 microsecond, and the short-circuit and over-current response times of IGBT switches are less than 3 microseconds.