System and Method for Driving a Switch
AssigneeInfineon Technologies AG
InventorsDieter Draxelmayr, Karl Norling
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Abstract
In accordance with an embodiment, a circuit for driving a switch includes a driver circuit. The driver circuit includes a first output configured to be coupled to a gate of the JFET, a second output configured to be coupled to a gate of the MOSFET, a first power supply node, and a bias input configured to be coupled to the common node. The switch to be driven includes a JFET coupled to a MOSFET at a common node.
Claims20
A circuit for driving a switch, the switch comprising a normally-on device coupled to a switch transistor at a common node, the circuit comprising:
- a driver circuit comprising
- a first output configured to be coupled to a control node of the normally-on device,
- a second output configured to be coupled to a control node of the switch transistor,
- a first power supply node, and
- a bias input configured to be coupled to the common node, wherein the driver circuit is configured to receive power from the bias input during startup of the circuit.
A method of operating a switch driver comprising a first switch driver output configured to be coupled to a control node of a normally-on device, a second switch driver output configured to be coupled to a control node of a switch transistor, a first power supply node, and a bias input configured to be coupled to a first output node of the normally-on device and a first output node of the switch transistor, the method comprising:
- switching the first switch driver output during startup, switching the first switch driver output during startup comprising receiving power from the bias input.
A method of operating a switch driver comprising a first output configured to be coupled to a control node of a normally-on device, and a second output configured to be coupled to a control node of a switch transistor coupled in series with the normally-on device, wherein the method comprises:
- switching the first output and the second output together when a supply node of the switch driver is ramping up from an initial startup condition;
- keeping the second output in a state configured to keep the switch transistor on while switching the first output on and off after the supply node of the switch driver is charged to a full operating state;
- and
- keeping the second output in a state configured to keep the switch transistor off at an initial startup of the switch driver.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.