8.1 Overview

There are several instances where controllers are not capable of delivering sufficient current to drive the gates of power transistors. This is especially the case with digital controllers, since the input signal from the digital controller is often a 3.3-V logic signal capable of only delivering a few mA. In order to switch power transistors rapidly and reduce switching power losses, high-current gate drivers are often placed between the output of control devices and the gates of power transistors.

The UCC20225A-Q1 and UCC20225-Q1, are flexible dual gate drivers which can be configured to fit a variety of power supply and motor drive topologies, as well as drive several types of transistors, including SiC MOSFETs. UCC20225-Q1 family has many features that allow it to integrate well with control circuitry and protect the gates it drives such as: resistor-programmable dead time (DT) control, a DISABLE pin, and under voltage lock out (UVLO) for both input and output voltages. The UCC20225 also holds its OUTA low when the PWM is left open or when the PWM pulse is not wide enough. The driver input PWM is CMOS and TTL compatible for interfacing to digital and analog power controllers alike. Importantly, Channel A is in phase with PWM input and Channel B is always complimentary with Channel A with programmed dead time.