GENEVA, Switzerland - STMicroelectronics has expanded its STGAP3S family of galvanically isolated gate drivers with 3-amp devices for silicon-carbide (SiC) MOSFET and insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) power stages.

The STGAP3S3S is optimized for SiC MOSFETs, while the STGAP3S3IF is designed for IGBTs. Both devices provide 3 amps of source and sink current and support high-voltage rails up to 1,200 volts. The drivers include an integrated active Miller clamp with a 3-amp clamping MOSFET, eliminating the need for an external clamp transistor. The clamp helps prevent unintended turn-on of the power switch caused by Miller current during high-speed switching, reducing the risk of shoot-through in half-bridge power stages.

The STGAP3S3 devices provide common-mode transient immunity of up to ±200 volts per nanosecond and 75-nanosecond input-to-output propagation delay. The devices also provide reinforced galvanic isolation, with ST specifying a 5.7-kilovolt RMS isolation voltage under UL 1577 and an 8-kilovolt peak transient overvoltage rating under IEC 60747-17. ST also cites transient protection of up to 9.6 kilovolts for the STGAP3S family.

Protection functions include undervoltage lockout, desaturation detection, and thermal shutdown, with diagnostic outputs indicating when protection functions are active. The drivers support gate-drive voltages up to 32 volts and negative gate-drive voltage down to -10 volts.

The STGAP3S3S SiC driver includes adjustable soft turn-off, which allows designers to control the rate of gate discharge during a fault. The STGAP3S3IF IGBT driver does not include adjustable soft-turn-off. The 6-amp STGAP3S6 and 10-amp STGAP3SX families use external MOSFETs for their Miller-clamp circuits, giving designers additional flexibility in higher-current applications.

The new drivers are intended for applications including electric-vehicle charging equipment, energy-storage systems, solar inverters, industrial drives, induction heating, uninterruptible power supplies, power supplies, DC/DC converters, and power-factor-correction circuits.

For more information, please visit https://www.st.com/.