Overvoltage protection and short-circuit withstanding for gallium nitride devices
AssigneeTexas Instruments Incorporated
InventorSandeep R. Bahl
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Disclosed examples include methods, integrated circuits and switch circuits including a driver circuit and a silicon transistor or other current source circuit coupled with a gallium nitride or other high electron mobility first transistor, where the driver operatives in a first mode to deliver a control voltage signal to the first transistor, and in a second mode in response to a detected overvoltage condition associated with the first transistor to control the current source circuit to conduct a sink current from the first transistor to affect a control voltage to at least partially turn on the first transistor.
Claims20
A device, comprising:
- a power switch having a first current terminal, a second current terminal, and a control terminal;
- and
- a driver circuit coupled to the control terminal of the power switch, and configured to:
- detect an overvoltage condition associated with the first current terminal;
- bias the second current terminal at a first voltage when the overvoltage condition is not detected;
- and
- bias the second current terminal at a second voltage when the overvoltage condition is detected, wherein the second voltage is lower than the first voltage.
A device, comprising:
- a power switch having a first current terminal, a second current terminal, and a control terminal;
- and
- a driver circuit coupled to the control terminal of the power switch, and configured to:
- detect an overvoltage condition associated with the first current terminal;
- bias the second current terminal to conduct a first current when the overvoltage condition is not detected;
- and
- bias the second current terminal to conduct a second current when the overvoltage condition is detected, wherein the second current is greater than the first current.
A half bridge circuit, comprising:
- a first gallium nitride (GaN) switch having a first drain, a first source, and a first gate;
- a second GaN switch having a second drain coupled to the first source, a second source, and a second gate;
- and
- a driver circuit coupled to the first and second GaN switches, and configured to:
- detect an overvoltage condition associated with the first drain;
- bias the first source at a first voltage when the overvoltage condition is not detected;
- and
- bias the first source at a second voltage when the overvoltage condition is detected, wherein the second voltage is lower than the first voltage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.