Silicon Labs adds Si828x Version 2 to extended isolation gate driver family

     Silicon Labs, a leading provider of chips, software and solutions for a smarter, more connected world, has announced the addition of Si828x Version 2 to its family of isolated gate drivers. This update enables the product family to achieve efficient silicon carbide (SiC) field-effect transistor (FET) gate drives to meet the growing market for half-bridge and full-bridge inverters and power supplies that require increased power density, lower operating temperatures and reduced switching losses.

     Brian Mirkin, vice president and general manager of Power products at Silicon Labs, said: "The Si828x product family has several advantages that make it ideal for hybrid and electric vehicle (EV) and industrial applications. "Customers who use SiC FETs for power switches when designing automotive chargers and traction inverters can greatly benefit from the Si828x's unique combination of features, including robust gate drive, robust desaturation fault response, and highly efficient Miller clamping."

     Silicon Labs has partnered with Wolfspeed, a leading provider of SiC solutions, whose gate drivers have been tested for Wolfspeed SiC MOSFETs.Jay Cameron, senior vice president and general manager of Power products at Wolfspeed, said: "SiC meets consumer demand for higher range and faster charging, so the adoption of SiC in electric vehicles for power conversion and inverter applications is rapidly increasing. Gate drivers optimized for SiC MOSFETs can maximize the effectiveness of SiC in these applications."