Microsemi and Analog Devices collaborate on scalable SiC MOSFET drivers

Microsemi Corp of Aliso Viejo, CA, USA (which makes chips for aerospace & defense, communications, data-center and industrial markets) and Analog Devices Inc (ADI) of Norwood, MA, USA (which provides mixed-signal ICs for cable access, ranging from data converters through clocking and control/power conditioning) have announced a scalable silicon carbide (SiC) driver reference design based on a range of Microsemi SiC MOSFET products and Analog Device’s ADuM4135 5kV isolated gate driver.

The dual SiC MOSFET driver reference design provides user-friendly design guides enabling faster time to market for customers using Microsemi SiC MOSFETs and supports the transition to Microsemi’s next-generation SiC MOSFETs.

The new reference design provides a highly isolated SiC MOSFET dual-gate driver switch to provide a means for evaluating SiC MOSFETs in a number of topologies. This includes modes optimized for half-bridge switching with synchronous dead time protection and asynchronous signal transfer with no protection. It can also be configured to provide concurrent drive with the requirement to study unclamped inductive switching (UIS) or double pulse testing. The reference design was developed for Microsemi SiC MOSFET discrete devices and modules and serves as an engineering tool for the evaluation of its portfolio of SiC devices. The board supports the modification of gate resistor values to accommodate most Microsemi discretes and modules.

“The dual SiC MOSFET driver reference design not only enables Microsemi customers to accelerate their product development efforts, but also accommodates the roll-out of our next-generation SiC MOSFETs to ensure a smooth transition for the end user,” says Microsemi’s strategic marketing manager Jason Chiang. “Customers taking a holistic view at power electronics design can utilize our new SiC driver solution to select the best driver and components for their designs, with the ability to scale to their specific SiC MOSFET needs.”

The dual SiC MOSFET driver reference design is suitable for a wide range of end markets and applications, including aerospace (actuation, air conditioning and power distribution), automotive (hybrid/electric vehicle powertrains, electric vehicle battery chargers, DC-to-DC converters, and energy recovery), defense (power supply and high-power motor drive), industrial (photovoltaic inverters, motor drives, welding, uninterruptible power supply, switched-mode power supply, induction heating and oil drilling) and medical (MRI and X-ray power supply).

Analog Devices collaborates with Microsemi as part of the Accelerate Ecosystem, which is designed to reduce time to market for end customers and time to revenue for ecosystem participants. Microsemi’s Accelerate Ecosystem brings together silicon, intellectual property (IP), systems, software and design experts to deliver validated board and system-level solutions for end customers.

The dual SiC driver reference design (MSCSICMDD/REF1), which includes an evaluation board, is available for purchase orders now.

The device is being showcased at the Power Conversion and Intelligent Motion (PCIM 2017) Europe exhibition in Nuremburg, Germany (16-18 May) in Microsemi’s booth #6-318 and in Analog Devices’ booth #6-458.