Switched inductive storage element to enhance gate drive at turn-off
AssigneePower Integrations, Inc.
InventorsAndreas VOLKE, Christoph DUSTERT, Brian Harold FLOYD
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Abstract
A switched inductive storage element to enhance gate drive at turn-off is described herein. An inductive storage element (e.g., an inductor) may be switched between a supply node and a gate node of a gated device (e.g., a low-side device and/or a high-side device). While coupled to the supply node, the inductive storage element may be energized; and subsequently, while coupled to the gate node of the gated device, the inductive storage element may drive the gate node (i.e., the gate of the low-side and/or high-side device) below the local ground potential.
Claims31
A gate driver comprising:
- a local ground node configured to provide a local ground potential;
- a buffer configured to drive a device gate to the local ground potential during a switching cycle;
- and
- an inductive storage element configured to drive the device gate below the local ground potential during the switching cycle.
A method of driving a device gate according to a switching cycle comprising:
- driving the device gate to a supply voltage;
- coupling an inductive storage element to a supply node;
- and
- coupling the inductive storage element to the device gate.
A method of operating a half-bridge driver during a switching cycle comprising:
- switching a first device gate to a first supply;
- switching the first device gate to a first ground;
- driving the first device gate below a potential of the first ground using an inductive storage element;
- switching a second device gate to a second supply;
- and
- switching the second device gate to a second ground.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.