Gate drivers target IGBTs, silicon and SiC MOSFETs

Infineon has introduced its EiceDRIVER X3 Enhanced gate drivers that lower external component count and can withstand tough industrial environments.

Infineon Technologies AG has introduced the EiceDRIVER X3 Enhanced analog (1ED34xx) and digital (1ED38xx) gate driver ICs for a range of industrial applications, including industrial drives, solar systems, uninterruptible power supplies, and EV chargers. Both families are designed for IGBTs as well as silicon (Si) and silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs in discrete and module packages.

These galvanically-isolated gate drivers provide a typical output current of 3, 6, and 9 A, precise short-circuit detection, a Miller clamp, and soft turn-off. The output current of up to 9 A eliminates the need for external booster components, said the company. The 1ED34xx also offers an adjustable desaturation filter time and soft turn-off current with external resistors. Together, these features speed up design cycles thanks to the lower external component count, said Infineon.

In addition, the 1ED38xx provides I2C configurability for multiple parameters, including adjustable control and protection functions such as short-circuit protection, soft-off, undervoltage lockout, a Miller clamp, overtemperature shutdown, and two-level turn off (TLTO). “This [configurability] increases design flexibility, reduces hardware complexity, and shortens evaluation time,” said Infineon.

Both gate-driver families feature a 40-V absolute maximum output supply voltage and a tight propagation delay matching of 30 ns (max.), resulting in shorter dead time, said Infineon. Common mode transient immunity (CMTI), a measurement of gate driver robustness, is more than 200 kV/μs to help avoid faulty switching patterns.

The 1ED34xx and 1ED38xx gate drivers come in a small DSO-16 fine pitch package with 8-mm creepage. Both are UL 1577-certified for 5.7 kV RMS with precise thresholds and timings for application safety.

The EiceDRIVER Enhanced 1ED34xx and 1ED38xx gate drivers and EVAL-1ED3491MX12M evaluation board can be ordered now.

Earlier this year, Infineon introduced the EiceDRIVER 1EDN with TDI  (truly differential inputs), one-channel gate-driver family, designed for high-power-density and high-efficiency designs.