Silicon Labs has announced the addition of the Si828x version 2 to its isolated gate driver product family. This update allows the product family to drive silicon carbide (SiC) FET gates, addressing the growing market for half- and full-bridge inverters and power supplies that require improved power density, cooler operation and reduced switching losses.

“The Si828x product family offers a variety of benefits that make it ideal for EVs, as well as industrial applications,” said VP Brian Mirkin. “Customers using SiC FETs for power switching when designing automotive chargers and traction inverters will greatly benefit from the Si828x’s unique combination of sturdy gate drive, robust desaturation fault response and an efficiency-boosting Miller clamp.”

Si828x version 2 includes:

• 4 amp peak gate drive current to switch SiC FETs and IGBTs  
• Improved common mode transient immunity (CMTI) to support decreased switching transition times and enable increased switching frequency
• Additional undervoltage (UVLO) settings to improve flexibility for SiC FETs and guard against poorly regulated power supplies
• Integrated DC-DC converter
• FET desaturation protection to detect and mitigate fault conditions
• Miller clamp to eliminate parasitic-induced shoot-through conditions

Source: Silicon Labs