Philips Electronics North America Corporation

Anand Janaswamy

Rajsekhar Jayaraman

Paul R Veldman

Michael Amato

Leo F Warmerdam

Thor Wacyk

A half-bridge driver circuit including a lower drive module and a floating upper drive module for driving respective external upper and lower power transistors of a high voltage half bridge is contained in an integrated circuit chip which includes an on-chip bootstrap diode emulator which is turned on in response to a control signal applied to its gate in order to pass current from a power supply to charge an external bootstrap capacitor that powers the upper drive module. The upper drive module is accommodated in an insulated well and the diode emulator includes as its main current carrying element, a JFET transistor formed along the periphery of the well. The JFET transistor is driven into a conducting state at the same time the lower power transistor is driven into a conducting state. The source electrode of the JFET is coupled to the power supply via a diode, such that the voltage at said source electrode cannot rise above a level which is one diode drop below the voltage at said power supply output and control circuitry derives the control control signal in a manner that it is constrained not to rise a level which is three diode drops below the voltage at the power supply output and limits the current that may flow in the gate electrode.

High voltage integrated circuit driver for half-bridge circuit employing

A half-bridge driver circuit including a lower drive module and a floating upper drive module for driving respective external upper and lower power transistors of a high voltage half bridge is contained in an integrated circuit chip which includes an on-chip bootstrap diode emulator for charging an external bootstrap capacitor that powers the upper drive module. The upper drive is accommodated in an insulated well and the diode emulator includes as its main current carrying element, a LDMOS transistor formed along the periphery of the well. The LDMOS transistor is driven into a conducting state at the same time the lower power transistor is driven into a conducting state. A clamp and current source solidly bias the backate of the LDMOS while limiting the current drawn by a parasitic transistor attached to the backgate during startup of the LDMOS.

A half-bridge driver circuit including a lower drive module and a floating upper drive module for driving respective external upper and lower power transistors of a high voltage half bridge is contained in an integrated circuit chip which includes an on-chip bootstrap diode emulator for charging an external bootstrap capacitor that powers the upper drive module. The upper drive is accommodated in an insulated well and the diode emulator includes as its main current carrying element, a LDMOS transistor formed along the periphery of the well. The LDMOS transistor is driven into a conducting state at the same time the lower power transistor is driven into a conducting state.

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Sunnyvale, CA, United States of America

Anand Janaswamy