ISOdrivers from Silicon Laboratories support up to 5 kV isolation ratings

Leveraging Silicon Labs' proprietary and patented RF-based isolation technology, the new ISOdriver ICs combine advanced digital isolation and gate driver capabilities into a single-chip solution, said Diwakar Vishakhadatta, isolation product line director at Silicon Labs. The high level of integration we've achieved enables developers to simplify their bill of materials, improve efficiency and reduce system cost by eliminating the need for up to 12 external components compared to optocoupler or gate-drive transformer solutions, while at the same time improving system reliability to industrial standards by using CMOS technology.

The new 5 kV Si82xx isolated gate drivers include the Si822x optocoupler-input-compatible devices and the Si823x digital-input devices. The Si822x gate drivers feature a passive diode input type that emulates an optocoupler's input, while providing all the performance benefits that accompany CMOS-based digital isolation. The Si822x devices significantly improve system reliability by providing a functional upgrade for popular optocoupler gate drivers.

The Si822x and Si823x devices feature ultra-fast 50 ns propagation delays - more than five times faster than common optocoupler plus gate driver solutions - for better timing margins and higher system efficiency. Based on mainstream CMOS process technology, ISOdriver devices exhibit none of the performance degradations over time and temperature which are common with optocoupler solutions. Supporting gate drive voltages of up to 24 V and peak output current ranging from 0.5 to 4.0 A, the ISOdrivers deliver best-in-class drive strength for both MOSFET and insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) applications, ensuring fast turn-off and turn-on of external switching transistors for maximum efficiency.

For design flexibility, the new ISOdriver devices are available in high-side/low-side and dual driver versions. The high-side/low-side versions have built-in protection against overlap timing errors, ensuring reliable operation for safety-critical applications. In addition, built-in programmable dead-time control allows the user to tune the power supply system for peak system efficiency - a key feature for high-power applications such as motor control.

Simplifying power system application development
Isolated gate drivers are critical building blocks used within power delivery systems in many electronic products. To help speed time to market for these products, Silicon Labs supports power system designers with cost-effective development tools including an open loop evaluation board (OPENLPPOL-EVB). This 100 to 500 kHz single-phase point-of-load evaluation kit streamlines evaluation of multiple Silicon Labs' digital isolation products including the Si8234 ISOdriver, Si8512 ac current sensor, and Si8540 dc current sensor.

To support development of isolated dc-dc switched mode power supplies, Silicon Labs and National Semiconductor have collaborated on a comprehensive 100 W reference design targeted at high-volume networking and telecom switch mode power supplies (SMPS). Featuring a Silicon Labs ISOpro digital isolator IC and National's LM5035C controller, the reference design and evaluation board provide a fully functional power converter in the industry-standard quarter-brick form factor based on a half-bridge topology. For more information about the SMPS reference design and evaluation board, visit www.silabs.com/pr/SMPSReferenceDesign.

In addition to its expanded Si82xx ISOdriver family, Silicon Labs offers complementary IC products for power supply applications including ISOpro digital isolator ICs, current sensors and small-form-factor mixed-signal microcontrollers (MCUs).

Pricing and Availability
The Si82xx ISOdriver isolated gate driver ICs are available today. Pricing in 10K quantities for Si82xx devices with a 5 kV isolation rating begins at $1.16 USD. The OPENLPPOL-EVB evaluation board is available now for $99 USD. For additional product information and to purchase samples and development tools, please visit www.silabs.com/pr/isolation.