Fairchild's improved gate driver optocoupler provides lower power consumption, faster switching speeds

SAN JOSE, USA: Designers of industrial applications such as solar inverters, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and motor drives demand higher performance gate drive optocouplers with reduced power consumption and faster switching speeds in order to comply with energy efficiency standards worldwide.

To meet this challenge, Fairchild Semiconductor has developed the FOD3184 – a 3A output current, high speed MOSFET/IGBT gate driver optocoupler with a nearly 50 percent reduction in propagation delay times and 13 percent lower power consumption compared to the popular FOD3120 gate driver. The device is ideal for high frequency driving of power MOSFETs and IGBTs at frequencies up to 250kHz.

The FOD3184 consists of an aluminum gallium arsenide (AIGaAs) light emitting diode optically coupled to a CMOS detector with PMOS and NMOS output power transistors integrated into the circuit power stage.

The PMOS pull-up transistor has low RDS(ON) for reduced internal power consumption and near rail-to-rail output voltage swing. The device also offers high noise immunity, characterized by a minimum 35kV/µs common mode rejection (CMR) – ideal for noisy industrial applications.

The device also features a wide VCC operating range (15V to 30V), 3A maximum peak output current and a guaranteed operating temperature range of -40ºC to +100ºC. The FOD3184 also features an under-voltage lockout protection (UVLO) with hysteresis, optimized for driving IGBTs.

The FOD3184 is packaged in an 8-pin dual in-line housing and offers >8.0mm creepage and clearance distances – a critical end-application requirement for safety agencies. Additionally, the packaging is compatible with 260ºC reflow processes for lead-free solder compliance. The 1,414V working voltage rating (VIORM) allows the device to drive 1,200V loads with reliable long term insulation performance.

Fairchild enables engineers to drive innovation in their designs by developing solutions like the FOD3184 which is part of Fairchild’s comprehensive portfolio of high performance optocouplers that offer best-in-class noise immunity, faster switching speeds and increased power efficiency.