Gate Drivers

Purpose: Drive power MOSFETs/IGBTs by translating logic-level signals to appropriate gate voltages.

• High-Side vs Low-Side: High-side drivers use bootstrap or isolated supplies; low-side connect directly to GND.
• Voltage Levels: Support typical gate drive voltages (e.g., 10–15 V).
• Isolation: Opto- or transformer-based isolation for high-voltage applications.
• Drive Strength: Specified in peak source/sink current (e.g., 2A, 4A).
• Dead Time Control: Prevent shoot-through in half-bridge configurations.
• Common ICs: IR2110 (high-low side), UCC27531 (non-isolated), Si823x (isolated).

Design Tips:

• Use short, low-inductance PCB traces to gate terminals.
• Add gate resistors to control slew rate and reduce ringing.
• Include pull-down resistors on gate nodes for fail-safe turn-off.
• Bootstrap diode must be fast and rated for sufficient voltage/current.