SiC MOSFET gate driver maximises efficiency and improves safety

The SIC1182K offers up to 8A output at a junction temperature of 125°C allowing these devices to support SiC-MOSFET inverter designs up to several hundred kilowatts without a booster stage.

This results in high system efficiency and enables customers to produce only one design to cover their entire product portfolio of differently-rated power inverters. A switching frequency of up to 150kHz supports multiple applications.

SCALE-iDriver SIC1182K SiC gate drivers feature Power Integrations’ high speed communications FluxLink technology, dramatically improving isolation capability. FluxLink is a revolution in signal transmission replacing optocouplers and capacitive or silicon-based solutions, significantly improving reliability and delivers reinforced isolation up to 1,200V.

SCALE-iDriver devices also include system-critical protection features such as desaturation monitoring and current SENSE read out, primary and secondary Under Voltage Lock-Out (UVLO) and Advanced Active Clamping (AAC).

More, the protection circuits provide safe shut down within five microseconds, meeting the fast protection needs of SiC devices. The SIC1182K SiC gate drivers exhibit high external magnetic field immunity, featuring a package that provides ≥9.5mm of creepage and clearance, using material that has the highest CTI level, CTI600, to IEC60112.

Michael Hornkamp, Senior Director of Marketing for gate-driver products at Power Integrations said: “Silicon Carbide MOSFET technology opens the door for decreasing size, lower weight and reduced losses in power inverter systems. The SCALE-iDriver family pairing with FluxLink technology enables safe, cost effective designs for inverters with very few external components up to 100kW, ensuring functional safety as well as compact packaging and maximised efficiency. Key applications include UPS, photo-voltaic systems, servo drives, welding inverters and power supplies.”

SCALE-iDriver technology minimises the number of external components that are needed and reduces the BOM: tantalum or electrolytic capacitors are not required; only one secondary winding is needed. A two-layer-PCB can be used which increases design simplicity, cuts component count and eases supply chain management.

Power Integrations’ SCALE-iDriver SIC1182K SiC gate drivers meet IEC60664-1 isolation coordination for low voltage equipment below 1,000V and IEC61800-5-1 electric motor drive inverter regulations. UL 1577, 5 kVAC for 1 min, is pending and VDE0884-10 is in process.