Fairchild Semiconductor Announces High Current, High Side Gate Driver

San Jose, CA - Fairchild Semiconductor's high voltage gate driver IC (HVIC) with 4A current driving capability ensures exceptional system reliability and space benefits in consumer and industrial applications. Featuring the industry's widest high-side driver operation with negative V_S swings of up to -9.8V (at V_BS = 15V), robust positive and negative V_B and an innovative common-mode dv/dt noise canceling circuit, the FAN7371 provides excellent noise immunity and increases system reliability. This HVIC saves at least 50 percent PCB area compared to optocoupler-based or pulse transformer-based solutions, and eliminates a buffer transistor compared to other low current HVICs on the market. Fairchild's FAN7371 is the optimal solution for driving MOSFETs and IGBTs in a wide array of applications up to 600V including plasma display panel (PDP), high intensity discharge (HID) lighting, induction heating and other general purpose inverter applications.

The FAN7371 further increases reliability by providing under-voltage lockout (UVLO) for VBS and a built-in 25V shunt regulator. In addition, the FAN7371 features the industry's lowest temperature dependency, ensuring stable performance against fluctuating temperatures in harsh environments. To enhance efficiency, this high voltage gate driver offers a floating channel designed for bootstrap operation up to +600V. When coupled with Fairchild's MOSFETs and IGBTs, it provides a full system power optimization solution.

Key benefits of the FAN7371 include:

• System reliability:
  • Common mode noise canceling technique that provides excellent noise immunity.
  • Advanced level-shifting circuitry for the widest extended allowable negative VS swing and robust positive and negative V_B.
  • Low temperature dependency that delivers full functionality at either cold or hot ambient temperatures.
• Space savings:
  • 50 percent space savings compared to optocoupler-based or pulse transformer-based solutions.
  • 4A current driving capability eliminates the need for a buffer transistor compared to low current HVICs.

The FAN7371 is part of Fairchild's comprehensive portfolio of HVIC solutions that provide excellent system reliability, stable performance and space savings for inverter motors, PDP sustain and energy recovery drivers, HID inverters, backlight inverters for CCFL, fluorescent lamp ballasts and class D audio amplifiers. For more information on this portfolio: http://www.fairchildsemi.com/hvic.

The FAN7371 utilizes lead-free (Pb-free) terminals and has been characterized for moisture sensitivity in accordance with the Pb-free reflow requirements of the joint IPC/JEDEC standard J- STD-020. All of Fairchild's products are designed to meet the requirements of the European Union's Directive on the restriction of the use of certain substances (RoHS).

For more information, visit www.fairchildsemi.com

SOURCE: Fairchild Semiconductor