Enhancing the performance of GaN SG HEMTs: The new EiceDRIVER 1EDN71x6G HS 200 V single-channel gate driver family

Minimized R&D efforts and costs as well as robust and highly efficient operation of medium-voltage gallium-nitride (GaN) switches are key requirements for modern power electronics systems. In accordance with its strategically-designed GaN product portfolio to continuously strengthen full system solutions, Infineon Technologies AG (FSE: IFX / OTCQX: IFNNY) introduces the EiceDRIVER 1EDN71x6G HS 200V single-channel gate driver ICs family.

Infineon’s EiceDRIVER™ 1EDN71x6G variants come with selectable pull-up and pull-down driving strengths, enabling waveform and switching speed optimization without the need for gate resistors. This leads to a smaller power stage layout with fewer BOM components. The strongest/fastest driving variant (1EDN7116G) is suitable for half-bridge configurations with significant paralleling. The weakest/slowest driving variant (1EDN7146G) can be employed for some dv/dt-limited applications like motor drives or very small-die GaN (high-RDS(on), low Qg) HEMTs.

The new product family is designed to enhance the performance of CoolGaN™ Schottky Gate (SG) HEMTs but is also compatible with other GaN HEMTs and Silicon MOSFETs. The gate drivers aim at a wide range of applications including DC-DC converters, motor drives, telecom, server, robots, drones, power tools, and class D audio amplifiers.

1EDN71x6G variants come with selectable pull-up and pull-down driving strengths, enabling waveform and switching speed optimization without the need for gate resistors. This leads to a smaller power stage layout with fewer BOM components. The strongest/fastest driving variant (1EDN7116G) is suitable for half-bridge configurations with significant paralleling. The weakest/slowest driving variant (1EDN7146G) can be employed for some dv/dt-limited applications like motor drives or very small-die GaN (high-R DS(on), low Q g) HEMTs. Each variant also has a different blanking time, proportional to the minimum recommended dead-time, the minimum pulse width, and the propagation delay.

The truly differential logic input (TDI) feature eliminates the risk of false triggering due to ground bounce in low-side applications and enables 1EDN71x6G to address even high-side applications. Additionally, all variants feature an active Miller clamp with an exceptionally strong pull-down to avoid induced turn-on. This offers extra robustness against glitching in the gate driving loop, especially when driving transistors with a high Miller ratio.

Furthermore, 1EDN71x6G offers active bootstrap clamping to avoid overcharging the bootstrap capacitor during dead-time. This provides bootstrap supply voltage regulation that protects the high-side transistor’s gate without requiring an additional regulation circuit. An optional programmable charge pump with adjustable negative turn-off supply is also provided for additional Miller-induced turn-on immunity when needed, e.g. when PCB layout cannot be fully optimized.

Availability
EiceDRIVER HS 200 V single-channel gate driver ICs 1EDN7116G, 1EDN7126G, 1EDN7136G, and 1EDN7146G for CoolGaN SG HEMTs can be ordered now in a PG-VSON-10 package. More information is available at www.infineon.com/eicedriver-1edn71x6x.

More information about Infineon’s contribution to energy efficiency: www.infineon.com/green-energy

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