New High Side Drive Circuit

Ernest H. Wittenbreder Technical Witts, Inc. 3260 S. Gillenwater Drive, Flagstaff, AZ 86001 (928) 773-8673 etecwitt@npgcable.com

New High Side Drive Circuit

Low component count No high voltage transistors High efficiency, adaptive switch timing Fast, short propagation delays Can be used reliably with popular active reset circuits such as forward, flyback, and boost Low real estate, neither cores nor windings Low cost
2 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

Similar Prior Art Gate Driver

L1 Main Output Out 1 COUT1

VLINE

DBOOT CBOOT

This circuit is in high volume commercial production and has been ~4 years.

Synchronously switched buck post regulator L2 Out 2 CIN

VCC

PWM

COUT2

Simple and cheap, but does not work for active reset circuits. 3 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

Similar Prior Art Gate Driver

Turn On Transition

CBOOT

I CIN I

Driver input is driven low to start transition Driver output goes high enabling MOSFET gate MOSFET source voltage rises Current from source forward biases low side clamp diode and charges input capacitor
4 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

Similar Prior Art Gate Driver

Turn Off Transition

I CBOOT

I CIN

Driver input is driven high to start transition Driver output goes low disabling MOSFET gate MOSFET source voltage falls with CBOOT High side clamp diode becomes forward biased discharging input capacitor
5 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

ZVS Flyback Prototype Circuit

CBULK1 CBULK2 CRESET RSTART DBOOT High Side Driver MSYNC LMAIN COUT 24 v

EMI Filter

MAUX LZVS

Sync Rec Driver

PWM

Low Side Driver

DCLAMP MMAIN

RSENSE

VHK

DHK CHK

LDO Regulator

+5 v

Patents: 5,402,329; 6,580,255; and 6,650,550 Appn. Ser. No.: 10/944,588 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

The Problem with the Prior Art Gate Driver for Active Reset
New High Side Gate Driver Turns Off Here

VCRESET Prior Art High Side Gate Driver Turns Off Here

Main Switch On

Aux Switch On (Intended)

Main Switch On

Aux Switch On (Intended) time

Source of Aux FET tracks CRESET during off time of main switch In prior art driver, input to driver goes high forcing the output low when VCRESET and source voltage of Aux FET falls In prior art driver, Aux FET turns off too soon due to falling voltage of CRESET
7 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

High Side Driver

VHK

DBOOT

CHK

PWM

High Side Driver

MAUX

MMAIN

Patent: 6,580,255 Appn. Ser. No.: 10/944,588

8 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

High Side Driver

DDRAIN VHK DBOOT CBOOT Logic Supply CCOUPLE MAUX ZCLAMP

CHK

PWM Logic Gate MOS Driver Optimal Switch Timing

External Passives

CDUTY

Patent: 6,580,255 Appn. Ser. No.: 10/944,588

9 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

Logic Supply

VBOOT

5v

Com

10 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

Logic Gate

+5 v

Logic In

Logic Out

Com

11 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

External Passives
Logic In

PWM CIN or

RFB

Logic Out

Logic In RIN PWM CIN RFB Logic Out

RFB provides positive current feedback that rejects voltage variations at the source of the Aux FET. 12 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

MOS Driver

+5 v

VBOOT

MOS Drive In

MOS Drive Out

Com

13 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

Optimal Switch Timing

VBOOT

DDRAIN

MOS Drive Out

Out

Patent: 6,580,255

Com

14 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

ZVS Flyback Wave Forms

Channel 1: Drain Source voltage of Main FET (100 volts/division) Channel 2: Gate Source voltage of Aux FET (4 volts/division) Channel 3: PWM output signal (5 volts/division) Channel 4: Gate Source voltage Main FET (5 volts/division)

15 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

High Side Drive Wave Forms

Channel 1: Drain Source voltage of Main FET (100 volts/division) Channel 2: Logic Gate output voltage to Aux FET source (4 volts/division)

16 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

High Side Drive Wave Forms

Channel 1: Drain Source voltage of Main FET (100 volts/division) Channel 2: MOS Driver output voltage to Aux FET source (4 volts/division)

17 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

High Side Drive Wave Forms

Channel 1: Drain Source voltage of Main FET (100 volts/division) Channel 2: Gate Source voltage of Aux FET (4 volts/division)

18 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

Another Possibility - Half Bridge Driver for Active Reset Circuits

CRESET

High Side Driver

MAUX

PWM

Low Side Driver

MMAIN

Patent: 6,580,255 Appn. Ser. No.: 10/944,588

19 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

Half Bridge Driver for Active Reset Circuits

Logic Supply CRESET DDRAINHI Optimal Switch Timing CCOUPLEHI MAUX

CBOOT

DBOOT

Logic Gate

MOS Driver

RCFB
CHILO VHK CHK PWM MOS Driver

CDUTY

DDRAINLO CINSUF Optimal Switch Timing

MMAIN CCOUPLELO

Patent: 6,580,255 Appn. Ser. No.: 10/944,588

Insufficient Energy Detector 20 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

Half Bridge Driver for Active Reset Circuits

Optimal Timing with Insufficient Energy Detector Circuit Turns MMAIN on at minimum voltage (insufficient energy) or zero voltage (sufficient energy) for maximum efficiency and reliability. VHK

MOS Driver

RSTART
MMAIN

Patent: 6,580,255 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.

21

Yet Another Possibility - PWM Controller with Half Bridge Driver for Active Reset Circuits

CRESET Half Bridge Driver MAUX MMAIN

Current Mode PWM

22 Confidential - Property of Technical Witts, Inc.