New gate driver IC supports high-voltage power devices

Renesas Electronics Corporation, a supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, announced a new gate driver IC, designed to drive high-voltage power devices such as Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBTs) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFETs for electric vehicle (EV) inverters.

Gate driver ICs are essential components to EV inverters, providing an interface between the inverter control MCU and the IGBTs and SiC MOSFETs that deliver power to the inverter. They receive control signals from the MCU in the low-voltage domain and transfer these signals to rapidly turn power devices on and off in the high-voltage domain.

To accommodate the higher voltages of EV batteries, the RAJ2930004AGM has a built-in 3.75kVrms (kV root mean square) isolator, which is higher than the 2.5kVrms isolator in the previous generation product, and can support power devices with a withstand voltage of up to 1200V.

In addition, the new driver IC boasts superior CMTI (Common Mode Transient Immunity) performance at 150 V/ns (nanosecond) or higher, providing reliable communication and increased noise immunity while meeting the high voltages and fast switching speeds required in inverter systems. The new product offers the basic functions of a gate driver in a small SOIC16 package, making it ideal for cost-effective inverter systems.

The RAJ2930004AGM can be used together with Renesas IGBTs as well as with IGBTs and SiC MOSFETs from other manufacturers. In addition to traction inverters, the gate driver IC is ideal for a range of applications that use power semiconductors, such as on-board chargers and DC/DC converters.

To help developers bring their products to market quickly, Renesas offers the xEV Inverter Kit solution that combines gate driver ICs with MCUs, IGBTs, and power management ICs, and plans to release a version incorporating the new gate driver IC in the first half of 2023.

“Renesas is pleased to offer the second-generation gate driver IC for automotive applications with high isolation voltage and superior CMTI performance,” said Akira Omichi, VP of Renesas’ Automotive Analog Application Specific Business Division. “We will continue to drive application development for EVs by offering solutions that minimize power loss and meet high levels of functional safety in our customers’ systems.

RAJ2930004AGM Gate Driver IC’s isolation capabilities: