FAN3223/FAN3224/FAN3225
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15
MillerDrive Gate Drive Technology
FAN322x gate drivers incorporate the MillerDrive
architecture shown in Figure 46. For the output stage, a
combination of bipolar and MOS devices provide large
currents over a wide range of supply voltage and
temperature variations. The bipolar devices carry the bulk of
the current as OUT swings between 1/3 to 2/3 VDD and the
MOS devices pull the output to the HIGH or LOW rail.
The purpose of the MillerDrive architecture is to speed up
switching by providing high current during the Miller
plateau region when the gate−drain capacitance of the
MOSFET is being charged or discharged as part of the
turn−on / turn−off process.
For applications that have zero voltage switching during
the MOSFET turn−on or turn−off interval, the driver
supplies high peak current for fast switching even though the
Miller plateau is not present. This situation often occurs in
synchronous rectifier applications because the body diode is
generally conducting before the MOSFET is switched ON.
The output pin slew rate is determined by VDD voltage and
the load on the output. It is not user adjustable, but a series
resistor can be added if a slower rise or fall time at the
MOSFET gate is needed.
Input
stage
Figure 46. MillerDrive Output Architecture
VDD
VOUT
Under−Voltage Lockout
The FAN322x startup logic is optimized to drive
ground-referenced N−channel MOSFETs with an
under−voltage lockout (UVLO) function to ensure that the
IC starts up in an orderly fashion. When VDD is rising, yet
below the UVLO level, this circuit holds the output LOW,
regardless of the status of the input pins. After the part is
active, the supply voltage must drop 0.2 V before the part
shuts down. This hysteresis helps prevent chatter when low
VDD supply voltages have noise from the power switching.
This configuration is not suitable for driving high−side
P−channel MOSFETs because the low output voltage of the
driver would turn the P−channel MOSFET ON with VDD
below the UVLO level.
VDD Bypass Capacitor Guidelines
To enable this IC to turn a device ON quickly, a local
high-frequency bypass capacitor, CBYP
, with low ESR and
ESL should be connected between the VDD and GND pins
with minimal trace length. This capacitor is in addition to the
bulk electrolytic capacitance of 10 mF to 47 mF commonly
found on the driver and controller bias circuits.
A typical criterion for choosing the value of CBYP is to
keep the ripple voltage on the VDD supply to ≤5%. This is
often achieved with a value ≥20 times the equivalent load
capacitance CEQV
, defined here as QGATE/VDD. Ceramic
capacitors of 0.1 mF to 1 mF or larger are common choices,
as are dielectrics, such as X5R and X7R with good
temperature characteristics and high pulse current
capability.
If circuit noise affects normal operation, the value of CBYP
may be increased to 50−100 times the CEQV
, or CBYP may
be split into two capacitors. One should be a larger value,
based on equivalent load capacitance, and the other a smaller
value, such as 1−10 nF mounted closest to the VDD and
GND pins to carry the higher frequency components of the
current pulses. The bypass capacitor must provide the pulsed
current from both of the driver channels and, if the drivers
are switching simultaneously, the combined peak current
sourced from the CBYP would be twice as large as when a
single channel is switching.
Layout and Connection Guidelines
The FAN3223−25 family of gate drivers incorporates
fast-reacting input circuits, short propagation delays, and
powerful output stages capable of delivering current peaks
over 4 A to facilitate voltage transition times from under
10 ns to over 150 ns. The following layout and connection
guidelines are strongly recommended:
•Keep high−current output and power ground paths
separate logic and enable input signals and signal
ground paths. This is especially critical when dealing
with TTL−level logic thresholds at driver inputs and
enable pins
•Keep the driver as close to the load as possible to
minimize the length of high-current traces. This reduces
the series inductance to improve high-speed switching,
while reducing the loop area that can radiate EMI to the
driver inputs and surrounding circuitry
•If the inputs to a channel are not externally connected,
the internal 100 kΩ resistors indicated on block
diagrams command a low output. In noisy
environments, it may be necessary to tie inputs of an
unused channel to VDD or GND using short traces to
prevent noise from causing spurious output switching