Low-Cost Optocoupler Responds To Bootstrap Techniques

This low-cost , bootstrap-powerable optocoupler is said to make isolated gate drive affordable for home appliances and HVAC motor drives, with the voltage and current provided by the device also making it suitable for low-power industrial applications. Designed specifically for low-power (up to 25A) motor-control-inverter applications, HCPL-314J is a 0.4A-output half-bridge gate drive optocoupler that features very low power dissipation (operating current is less than 3 mA), permitting the device to be powered using a bootstrap technique, thereby eliminating the need for costly isolated power. The device also integrates two channels in its SOIC-16 package, reducing by up to 50% the board space required compared to conventional, single-channel, 8-pin DIP optocouplers. Further, propagation delays between channels are matched to within 0.7 µs, allowing designers to minimize inverter dead time.