Tokyo: Toshiba Electronic Devices and Storage Corporation (Toshiba) has launched a gate driver photocoupler, ‘TLP5814H’, in a small size SO8L package that incorporates an active Miller clamp function for driving silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, in circuits such as inverters, where MOSFETs or IGBTs are used in series, gate voltage can be generated by a Miller current when the lower arm is turned off, causing malfunctions such as short circuits in the upper and lower arms. A commonly used protection function to prevent this is the application of a negative voltage to the gate when it is turned off, as stated by Toshiba in a statement.

The built-in active Miller clamp circuit in the TLP5814H eliminates the need for an additional power supply for negative voltage and external active Miller clamp circuits. This provides a safety function for the system and promotes system miniaturization by reducing the number of external circuits.

The TLP5814H features an operating temperature rating of -40 to 125 degrees Celsius (°C). This is achieved by enhancing the optical output of the infrared emitting diode on the input side and optimizing the design of the photo detector devices (photodiode arrays) to improve optical coupling efficiency. This makes it suitable for industrial equipment that require strict thermal management, such as photovoltaic (PV) inverters and uninterruptible power supplies. Its propagation delay time and propagation delay skew are also specified in the operating temperature rating range.

Toshiba, a supplier of advanced semiconductor and storage solutions, will continue to develop photocoupler products that contribute to enhancing the safety function of industrial equipment.