Starrystone Tech Gate Drivers

Low-side gate drivers control switches with source connected to ground. They're simpler and can use ground-referenced power supplies. High-side drivers control switches with source floating at the switching node (above ground). They require bootstrap or isolated power supplies and level-shifting circuits. Half-bridge drivers combine both - one low-side and one high-side driver for controlling two switches in a half-bridge configuration. Choose based on your circuit topology.

Use low-side for ground-referenced switches. Use half-bridge for synchronous converters and motor drives.

Gate drive current determines switching speed. Calculate using: Igate = Qg / t, where Qg is total gate charge of the MOSFET/IGBT and t is desired switching time. For example, if Qg = 50nC and you want 50ns switching: Igate = 50nC / 50ns = 1A. The driver must provide this peak current. Faster switching reduces switching losses but increases EMI and voltage ringing. Select a driver with adequate current capability for your switching speed requirements.

Calculate based on gate charge and desired switching time. Select driver with adequate peak current.

Bootstrap power supply generates the high-side gate drive voltage using a diode and capacitor. When the low-side switch is on, the bootstrap capacitor charges through the diode from the low-side supply. When the low-side switch turns off and high-side turns on, the charged capacitor provides floating power for the high-side driver. This eliminates the need for isolated power supplies. The bootstrap capacitor must be sized appropriately and refreshed regularly (minimum duty cycle or periodic low-side on-time required).

Bootstrap is standard for half-bridge drivers. Size capacitor appropriately for switching frequency.

Starrystone Tech gate drivers include protection features such as under-voltage lockout (UVLO) to prevent operation with insufficient gate voltage, shoot-through prevention logic in half-bridge drivers to avoid simultaneous conduction, over-temperature protection, and fault reporting outputs. Some drivers include desaturation detection for IGBT protection. These features ensure reliable operation and protect the power switches from damage.

Integrated protections improve reliability. Review datasheet for specific protection features.

Minimize switching noise through proper PCB layout: Keep gate drive loops small and tight

Use Kelvin connections for gate drive

Place decoupling capacitors close to driver IC

Minimize parasitic inductance in high di/dt paths

Use appropriate gate resistors to control switching speed

Implement snubbers if needed for voltage ringing. Balance switching speed (efficiency) against EMI - slower switching reduces EMI but increases switching losses.

Optimize PCB layout and use gate resistors to control switching speed. Trade-off between efficiency and EMI.