Isolated Half-bridge Gate Drivers with Analog Devices’ iCoupler Digital Isolator Technology Deliver Industry-best Speed and Reliability

ADI’s new gate drivers are designed to improve the performance and efficiency of AC-to-DC and DC-to-DC power supplies, solar-power inverters and motor-control designs while meeting necessary safety requirements required for these applications.

The ADuM3223 and ADuM4223 isolated half-bridge gate drivers feature sub-55-ns propagation delay and less than 5-ns delay matching, which is four times faster than gate drivers designed using less effective optocoupler technology. The new gate drivers meet safety standards for up to 5-kV rms reinforced isolation and also provide 700-VPEAK galvanic isolation between the drivers’ high-side and low-side outputs, which minimises the potential for cross conduction and improves reliability and equipment safety.

“Optocoupler-based gate drivers typically suffer from poor timing performance, which contributes to longer dead-time that can affect overall operating efficiency. Optocouplers also use power-hungry LEDs, which are prone to wear out and can limit the life of the gate driver,” said Bob Briano, Digital Isolator Marketing Manager, Analog Devices. “Using a typical power supply as an example, ADI’s new isolated gate drivers offer significantly better reliability, higher switching speed and temperature, and a smaller package. That combination translates to greater power density and better overall power supply efficiency.”

With two independent isolation channels, the ADuM3223 and ADuM4223 gate drivers operate with an input supply range from 3.3 V to 5.5 V, which suits them to lower voltage systems. Each output may be continuously operated up to 400 V rms relative to the input. The differential voltage between the high-side and low-side may be as high as 700 VPEAK, which makes these devices ideal for providing reliable control over a wide range of bus voltages.

The ADuM3223 provides 3 kV rms isolation in a narrow-body, 16-lead SOIC package, while the ADuM4223 provides 5 kV rms reinforced isolation in a wide-body, 16-lead SOIC package.