Versatile GaN Half-Bridge Drivers Built for Reliable Power Conversion, Motor Control
The STDRIVEG210 and STDRIVEG211 half-bridge gallium-nitride (GaN) gate drivers are tailored for systems powered from industrial or telecom bus voltages, 72-V battery systems, and 110-V AC line-powered equipment. Rated for maximum rail voltage of 220 V, STMicroelectronics’ drivers integrate linear regulators to generate high- and low-side 6-V gate signals and provide separate sink and source paths for optimum control.
The STDRIVEG210 excels in power-conversion applications such as server and telecom supplies, battery chargers, adapters, solar micro-inverters and optimizers, LED lighting, and USB-C power sources. Suitable both for resonant and hard-switching topologies, its 300-ns startup time permits to minimize the wake-up time especially during intermittent operation (burst mode).
The STDRIVEG211, equipped with overcurrent detection and smart shutdown, targets motor drives in power tools, e-bikes, pumps, and servos, as well as class-D audio amplifiers, in addition to power supplies.
Both devices simplify and minimize BOM by integrating the bootstrap diode into supply high-side driver. The separate gate-driving paths can sink 2.4 A and source 1.0 A to ensure rapid switching transitions and easy dv/dt tuning. Protection features include overtemperature and dv/dt immunity as well as interlocking to prevent cross conduction. A separated power ground allows optimal Kelvin source gate driving or the use of a current shunt.
The STDRIVEG210 and STDRIVEG211, in production now, are housed in a compact 5- × 4-mm 18-lead QFN package. They’re available from $1.22 for orders of 1,000 pieces. Additional resources for developers include:
- Datasheets: STDRIVEG211, STDRIVEG210
- Evaluation boards: EVLSTDRIVEG611, EVLSTDRIVEG610Q
- Webinar: Driving innovation: high-voltage gate drivers for next-gen industrial and automotive applications
About the Author
Lee Goldberg
Contributing Editor
Lee Goldberg is a self-identified “Recovering Engineer,” Maker/Hacker, Green-Tech Maven, Aviator, Gadfly, and Geek Dad. He spent the first 18 years of his career helping design microprocessors, embedded systems, renewable energy applications, and the occasional interplanetary spacecraft. After trading his ‘scope and soldering iron for a keyboard and a second career as a tech journalist, he’s spent the next two decades at several print and online engineering publications.
Lee’s current focus is power electronics, especially the technologies involved with energy efficiency, energy management, and renewable energy. This dovetails with his coverage of sustainable technologies and various environmental and social issues within the engineering community that he began in 1996. Lee also covers 3D printers, open-source hardware, and other Maker/Hacker technologies.
Lee holds a BSEE in Electrical Engineering from Thomas Edison College, and participated in a colloquium on technology, society, and the environment at Goddard College’s Institute for Social Ecology. His book, “Green Electronics/Green Bottom Line - A Commonsense Guide To Environmentally Responsible Engineering and Management,” was published by Newnes Press.
Lee, his wife Catherine, and his daughter Anwyn currently reside in the outskirts of Princeton N.J., where they masquerade as a typical suburban family.
Lee also writes the regular PowerBites series.