Ultra-compact 1.2/2.3 kV gate drivers from Power Integrations reveal important trends in the green energy industry

The current family of modules is designed to control IGBT transistors. However, PI suggested that variants supporting wide bandgap (WBG) devices could be expected in the near future.

Equally important is their compact, single-board design, which is compact enough to fit within the area of ​​the target IGBT modules, allowing drivers to be mounted within the module. This allows them to be tightly integrated with the devices they drive, allowing for active systems temperature management, which can be used to improve utilization as well as reduce the number of bills of materials (BOMs).

Active neutral point and NTC terminal

Another of the most important PI optimizations is the three-layer active neutral topology, which enables the use of cheaper power devices with lower blocking points. This also produces smoother switching patterns, significantly reducing the amount of filtering required while increasing overall system efficiency.

In addition, the compact housing of the drivers facilitates direct connection to power bridge modules. This, combined with device negative temperature coefficient (NTC) data – an isolated measurement of power module temperature – allows for accurate temperature management of converter systems. As a result, system designers can optimize thermal design and achieve a 25-30% increase in converter power using the same hardware.

Meanwhile, isolated NTC reading also reduces hardware complexity by eliminating multiple cables, connectors and additional circuitry crossing the insulation barrier (Fig. 4).