Designed to drive p-channel MOSFETs at very high speeds, Linear Technology's LTC1693-5 MOSFET driver/buffer IC delivers a 1.5-A peak-to-peak output current. This device is rated with rise and fall times of 17.5 ns at a VCC of 12 V and 1 nF of gate capacitance.
For proper startup and MOSFET protection, the IC contains undervoltage lockout and thermal-shutdown circuits that disable the MOSFET gate drive when activated. The chip accepts a wide input-voltage range of 4.5 to 13.2 V. It's also CMOS-compatible with hysteresis on its input.
Applications include power supplies, high-side drivers, line drivers, and motor/relay control systems. The LTC1693-5 can be used with a switching dc-dc controller to boost gate-drive capability, which allows higher output power. It can level-shift the input logic signal up or down to the rail-to-rail VCC drive, enabling the external MOSFET to guarantee full turn-on and turn-off. A VCC-independent CMOS input threshold with 1.2 V of typical hysteresis is offered as well.
The LTC1693-5 is housed in a small 8-lead MSOP package. Pricing starts at $1.70 each in 1000-piece quantities.
Linear Technology Corp., 1630 McCarthy Blvd., Milpitas, CA 95035-7417; (408) 432-1900; fax (408) 434-6441; www.linear-tech.com.