Isolated gate drivers target electric vehicle and industrial applications

Silicon Labs has expanded its family of isolated gate drivers with the Si828x version 2 for electric vehicles and industrial applications. Designed to drive silicon carbide (SiC) FET gates, the Si828x version 2 targets half- and full-bridge inverters and power supplies that require improved power density, cooler operation, and reduced switching losses.

Silicon Labs’ gate drivers have been tested with Wolfspeed SiC MOSFETs. When used with the Si828x family, these SiC FETS increase power and conversion efficiency, which translates to fewer battery cells, more power delivered to electric motors, and better operating costs, said Silicon labs. A test report (pdf) including Silicon Labs’ Si828x and Wolfspeed’s C3M family as well as documentation for the half-bridge reference design are available.

The Si828x version 2 offers a 4-amp (A) peak gate drive current, improved common mode transient immunity (CMTI) for lower switching transition times and increased switching frequency, additional undervoltage (UVL)) settings, and FET saturation protection to detect and mitigate fault conditions. It also integrates a DC/DC converter and a Miller clamp to eliminate parasitic-induced shoot-through conditions.

The Si828x version 2 isolated gate drivers deliver ultra-fast short circuit protection at <1 µs. (Image: Silicon Labs)

The Si828x version 2 isolated gate drivers are AEC-Q100 qualified and provide an operating temperature range of-40 to 125°C. The gate drivers, housed in automotive and industrial-grade widebody SOIC packages, are available now.