Three-phase gate driver with smart shutdown enhances safety

Featuring smart-shutdown circuitry for fast-acting protection, the STDRIVE601 turns off the gate-driver outputs immediately after detecting overload or short-circuit, for a period determined using an external capacitor and resistor. Designers can set the required duration, using large C-R values if needed, without affecting the shutdown reaction time. An active-low fault indicator pin is provided.

The STDRIVE601 replaces three half-bridge drivers to ease PCB layout and optimise the performance of three-phase motor drives for equipment such as home appliances, industrial sewing machines, and industrial drives and fans.

All outputs can sink 350mA and source 200mA, with gate-driving voltage range of nine to 20V, for driving N-channel power MOSFETs or IGBTs. Matched delays between the low-side and high-side sections eliminate cycle distortion and allow high-frequency operation, while interlocking and deadtime insertion are featured to prevent cross conduction.

Fabricated in ST’s BCD6S offline process, the STDRIVE601 operates from a logic supply voltage up to 21V and high-side bootstrap voltage up to 600V. Bootstrap diodes are integrated, saving the bill of materials, and under-voltage lockout (UVLO) on each of the low-side and high-side driving sections prevents the power switches operating in low-efficiency or dangerous conditions.

An evaluation board, EVALSTDRIVE601, is available to help users explore the features of the STDRIVE601 and quickly get first prototypes up and running.

The STDRIVE601 IC is in production now, housed in a SO28 package, and priced at $1.13 for orders of 1,000 pieces.