An IGBT gate drive ASIC with 3 A/12.5 A CMOS output stages

For effective operation of an IGBT, intelligent gate drive circuitry is indispensable. A complete gate drive application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) with 3 A and 12 A output stages and an intelligent controller has been developed, integrated and tested. Protection circuits such as a voltage supply monitor or power up protection expand the areas of application. Various input circuits allow communication via transformer, opto-couplers and fiber-optics which further contribute to the flexibility of this ASIC. Other important functions are the master/slave configuration and different driving stages which allow use in a variety of different systems. Combining these features into an ASIC reduces the number of external components necessary, thus creating an attractive alternative to discrete gate drives