International Rectifier Corporation

Infineon Technologies Austria Ag

Infineon Technologies Americas Corp.

Sergio Morini

Massimo Grasso

Marco Giandalia

Daniele Miatton

Wolfgang Raberg

Hermann Gruber

Karl Norling

Holger Wille

Martina Arosio

Erwin Huber

Alberto Guerra

Christian Locatelli

Volha Kharko Subotskaya

Kyrylo Cherniak

Davide Respigo

Stefano Ruzza

Raffaele Cannizzaro

Alessandro Rugginenti

Hayri Verner Hasou

Salviano Marino

Andrea Lampredi

Amedeo Paganini

David Respigo

A method for driving a power transistor includes comparing a measurement signal that is representative of a load current to a comparator threshold that corresponds to an overcurrent threshold; generating a first fault signal when the measurement signal exceeds the comparator threshold for a first time interval; generating a second fault signal when the measurement signal exceeds the comparator threshold for a second time interval that is greater than the first time interval; regulating a control voltage provided to the control terminal of the transistor to turn off the transistor in response to the second fault signal; and in response to the first fault signal, adjusting the control voltage to an adjusted voltage level in order to limit the load current to a reduced current level that is preconfigured to be greater than the overcurrent threshold. The adjusted voltage level is sufficient to maintain the power transistor in an on-state.

Short circuit detection and limiting channel current in transistor before turn off in short circuit condition

An apparatus may include an electric power converter and pre-charge circuitry. The electric power converter may include a first circuit, a second circuit and an energy transfer device. The first circuit may be connected to a power supply. The second circuit may be connected to a load. The energy transfer device may have a first side connected to the first circuit and a second side connected to the second circuit. The pre-charge circuitry may be connected to a capacitor of the first circuit. The capacitor may be connected to the first side of the energy transfer device. The pre-charge circuitry may be configured to charge the capacitor during a pre-charge mode of the electric power converter. The electric power converter may be configured to exit the pre-charge mode and enter an energy transfer mode responsive to a charge level of the capacitor reaching a threshold pre-charge level.

Pre-charge circuitry and method for electric power converter

A gate driver communication system includes a cored transformer including a primary coil and a secondary coil configured to receive power signals and uplink data signals from the primary coil; a primary side power signal generator coupled to the primary coil and configured to generate the power signals having a first frequency; a primary side data transmitter coupled to the primary coil and configured to generate the uplink data signals having a second frequency different from the first frequency; and a primary side controller configured to allocate the power signals and the uplink data signals to the primary coil according to a plurality of time slots, wherein the power signals are allocated to first time slots of the plurality of time slots and the uplink data signals are allocated to second times slots of the plurality of time slots.

Galvanic isolated gate driver based on a transformer used for both power transfer from primary to secondary coil and data transmission

A gate driver includes a high-side region that operates in a first voltage domain, a low-side region that operations in a second voltage domain lower than the first voltage domain, a termination region interposed between the high-side region and the low-side region and configured to isolate the first voltage domain from the second voltage domain, a high-side gate driver disposed in the high-side region and configured to drive a high-side power transistor, a low-side gate driver disposed in the low-side region and configured to drive a low-side power transistor, and a plurality of termination diodes disposed in the termination region and configured to transmit information bits between the high-side region and the low-side region, where each of the plurality of termination diodes includes an anode coupled to the low-side region and a cathode coupled to the high-side region.

Low power cycle to cycle bit transfer in gate drivers

A gate driver circuit includes a gate driver and a sensing circuit. The gate driver is configured to generate an on-current during a plurality of turn-on switching events to drive a transistor, where a voltage across the transistor changes from a first value to a second value with a slope during the plurality of turn-on switching events, where the slope is of either an active type dependent on an amplitude of the on-current or a passive type. The sensing circuit determines whether the slope during a first turn-on switching event is the active type or the passive type, and regulates the amplitude of the on-current during a second turn-on switching event that is subsequent to the first turn-on switching event if the slope is the active type and to maintain the amplitude of the on-current as unchanged during the second turn-on switching event if the slope is the passive type.

DV/DT self-adjustment gate driver architecture

In some examples, a device includes a first conductive region and a second conductive region that is galvanically isolated from the first conductive region. The device further includes one or more conductors, wherein each conductor of the one or more conductors is electrically connected to circuitry in the first conductive region. The device also includes a giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor electrically connected to circuitry in the second conductive region and magnetically coupled to the one or more conductors, wherein the GMR sensor is positioned at least partially lateral relative to the one or more conductors.

Lateral transmission of signals across a galvanic isolation barrier

In one implementation, a power converter includes an output stage integrated circuit (IC) in a group III-V die including a depletion mode group III-V transistor, and a driver IC in a group IV die. The driver IC is configured to drive the output stage IC. In addition, a group IV control switch in the group IV die is cascoded with the depletion mode group III-V transistor. The power converter further includes an overcurrent protection circuit for the depletion mode group III-V transistor, the overcurrent protection circuit monolithically integrated in the group IV die.

Power converter including integrated driver providing overcurrent protection

An integrated circuit that includes a resistor module with improved linearity is disclosed. The resistor module includes a diffused resistor body of a first conductivity type; a first terminal and a second terminal, each making direct electrical contact with the diffused resistor body; a doped well of a second conductivity type substantially surrounding the diffused resistor body on all but one major surface of the diffused resistor body, the doped well having contact regions; a first amplifier connected to the first terminal and to one contact region of the doped well; and a second amplifier connected to the second terminal and to another contact region of the well, such that the first amplifier and the second amplifier are connected for power supply only to the first terminal and second terminal, respectively. The first and second amplifiers may be unity gain buffer amplifiers or inverting opamps.

High ohmic integrated resistor with improved linearity

An integrated ground fault detection circuit in accordance with an embodiment of the present application includes a shunt resistor provided on a positive rail of a DC bus, a high voltage pocket including a sensory circuit connected to the shunt resistor and operable to detect a fault condition indicating a short circuit and a transmitter section operable to continuously transmit a fault condition signal indicating the fault condition and a low voltage pocket including a receiver operable to receive the fault condition signal from the sensory circuit and a logic unit, connected to the receiver, and operable to provide a fault output signal indicating the presence of a fault condition based on the fault condition signal.

Ground fault detection circuit for use in high voltage motor drive applications

A high-side driver in a driver circuit for driving a half-bridge stage having high- and low-side power switching devices series connected at a switched node, the high-side driver driving the high-side power switching device. The high-side driver including first and second complementary switched MOSFET series connected at a high-side node, driving the high-side power switching device, one of the MOSFETs having a parasitic bipolar transistor formed between the substrate, an N+ epitaxial region connected to the high-side driver supply voltage and the switched node, with the parasitic transistor having a base electrode formed by the N+ epitaxial region, an emitter electrode formed by the substrate and a collector electrode formed by the switched node, such that if a transient voltage that is negative with respect to the substrate is present at the high-side driver supply voltage, the parasitic transistor will conduct a short circuit current between the switched node and the substrate; a first circuit for controlling the conduction of the first and second MOSFETs to switch the high-side switching device ON and OFF; a diffusion in the N+ epitaxial region in which a terminal connected to the switched node is provided by the diffusion forming the collector of the parasitic transistor; and a second circuit coupled to the diffusion for sensing the high-side driver supply voltage at the epitaxial region and providing a signal to the first circuit to prevent turn-ON of the high-side power switching device.

Negative N-epi biasing sensing and high side gate driver output spurious turn-on prevention due to N-epi P-sub diode conduction during N-epi negative transient voltage

A startup circuit for providing a startup voltage from a high voltage DC bus voltage to an application circuit, the startup circuit comprising an integrated circuit package for at least a control circuit for driving at least one power switch of the application circuit having a low voltage terminal; a dropping resistor in the integrated circuit package having a first terminal for coupling to the high voltage DC bus and a second terminal, the dropping resistor dropping the high voltage DC bus voltage to a reduced voltage and providing the reduced voltage at the second terminal; further comprising a low voltage regulator coupled to the second terminal for using the reduced voltage for enabling generation of a regulated startup low voltage DC output at a preset level at the low voltage terminal for powering at least one part of the application circuit during startup of the application circuit, wherein the high voltage DC bus voltage is the only voltage source provided externally to the integrated circuit package.

Start-up circuit for providing a start-up voltage to an application circuit

An integrated circuit for feeding data acquisition circuits is provided. The integrated circuit including an inverter application having a half-bridge driver for driving high and low side switches connected in a half bridge, a data acquisition circuit formed in monolithic high voltage technology, and a Low Voltage Floating Supply (LVFS) circuit for providing voltage to the data acquisition circuit, the LVFS circuit being formed in a floating n-epi pocket biased with a voltage that is lower than a maximum value of a voltage present in the n-epi pocket.

Fully integrated floating power supply for high voltage technologies including N-EPI biasing

A ring oscillator for generating an output signal, comprising a plurality of serially connected main elements for selectively delaying a signal input thereto, each of the plurality of main elements having two circuit paths, a first path including at least one time-delay element for delaying a signal input thereto and a second circuit path bypassing the first circuit path; and a multiplexor (MUX) having a first input coupled to the first circuit path including the at least one time-delay element and a second input coupled to the second circuit path, the MUX selecting the first or second inputs of a plurality of inputs and outputting an output signal.

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Pavia, Italy

Sergio Morini