ADI intros industry's first isolated gate drivers

BANGALORE, INDIA: Analog Devices Inc. is introducing the industry’s first isolated half-bridge gate drivers that incorporate isolated power and isolated gate drivers in one package. Competitive products, such as optocoupler isolated gate drivers, require separate power isolation.

Integration eliminates components, reduces system cost and size by as much as 50 percent, and improves system reliability and quality by simplifying designs. Furthermore, the new products will come pre-approved with safety approvals normally required for discrete-based isolated power supplies.

Analog Devices’ engineers integrated an isolated power supply and isolated gate drivers in the same package by using the company’s award-winning iCoupler technology. This provides isolated high-side and low-side outputs together with ADI’s proprietary isoPower integrated, isolated power. isoPower leverages iCoupler technology’s chip-scale micro-transformers along with high-voltage CMOS to create an isolated DC-to-DC converter.

The ADuM5230 and ADuM6132 are designed for implementations that include motor drives, plasma displays, and power inverters found in power supplies and solar power converters. On both devices, the integrated, isolated converter powers both the high-side output as well as any external buffer circuitry, eliminating the cost, space, and design complexity associated with external power supply configurations.

The ADuM5230 and ADuM6132 differ in power capability and high-side/low-side isolation configuration. In the ADuM5230, which supplies 200 mW of power, the high-side and low-side outputs are isolated from each other as well as from the inputs. In the ADuM6132, which supplies 300 mW of power, only the high-side output is isolated from the input.

In contrast to gate drivers employing high-voltage level translation methodologies, the ADuM5230 and ADuM6132 offer the benefit of true galvanic isolation between the inputs and outputs.On both products, the outputs may be operated up to ±700V (peak) relative to each other.  On the ADuM5230, the isolated outputs may be operated up to ±700V (peak) relative to the inputs, thereby supporting low-side switching to negative voltages.

Availability and pricing

The ADuM5230 will sample and be available in full production quantities in April 2008.  Housed in a wide-body SOIC (small-outline integrated circuit) 16-lead package, the ADuM5230 is priced at $2.25 per unit in 1,000-unit quantities.

The ADuM6132 is sampling now, and will be available in full production quantities in July 2008.  Housed is a wide-body SOIC 16-lead package, the ADuM6132 is priced at $2.12 per unit in 1,000-unit quantities.