STMicroelectronics introduces monolithic GaN gate drivers to accelerate industrial and home automation

     The STDRIVEG600 half-bridge gate driver of STMicroelectronics has large output current and the propagation delay of high-low output signal is the same, both 45ns, which can drive GaN enhanced FET high-frequency switch. The drive supply voltage of up to 20V is also suitable for driving N-channel silicon-based MOSFET tubes. When driving GaN devices, the 6V gate-source voltage (VGS) can be flexibly applied to ensure that the on-resistance Rds(on) is kept low. In addition, the driver integrates a bootstrap circuit to minimize bill of material costs and simplify board layout. The bootstrap circuit uses a synchronous rectified MOSFET switching tube to bring the bootstrap voltage up to the VCC logic supply voltage value, allowing the driver to use only one power supply without the need for a low voltage drop regulator (LDO).

     The dV/dt of the STDRIVEG600 is ±200V/ns, ensuring high reliability of gate control in harsh electrical environments. The logic input is compatible with CMOS/TTL signals as low as 3.3V for easy connection to the main microcontroller or DSP processor. High-side circuits can withstand voltages up to 600V and can be used in applications with high-voltage buses up to 500V.

     The driver has an output feed/pull current of 5.5A/6A and offers separate on and off pins that allow the designer to choose the appropriate gate control. In addition, the high and low side circuits support the Kelvin connection method connected to the power switching source to enhance the control performance. Dedicated ground and supply voltage pins for low side drivers enable Kelvin connections, ensure stable switch operation and allow current detection using shunt resistors without additional isolation or input filtering circuitry.

     The driver has complete built-in safety protection features, among which the high and low side drive undervoltage lock (UVLO) can prevent the power switch tube from operating under inefficient or dangerous conditions; Interlock protection prevents cross conduction of switch tubes. Additional protection features include overheat protection, power-saving shut-off function dedicated pins.

     The STDRIVEG600 is suitable for applications such as high voltage PFC, DC/DC and DC/AC converters, switching power supplies, UPS power systems, solar power generation, and motor drive control for home appliances, factory automation and industrial drive equipment.

     The drive comes with two companion development boards to help designers quickly start new projects. The EVSTDRIVEG600DG carries a 150mΩ 650V GaN HEMT transistor in a 5mm x 6mm PowerFLAT package with a Kelvin drive source pin. The EVSTDRIVEG600DM development board is equipped with a STL33N60DM2 MDmesh 115mΩ 600V silicon based MOSFET power switch with built-in fast recovery diode. The transistor is available in an 8mm x 8mm PowerFLAT package with Kelvin driver source pins or in a DPAK package.