MIC4102
100V Half Bridge MOSFET Driver
with Anti-Shoot Through Protection
PRELIMINARY SPECIFICATIONS
Micrel Inc. • 2180 Fortune Drive • San Jose, CA 95131 • USA • tel +1 (408) 944-0800 • fax + 1 (408) 474-1000 • http://www.micrel.com
November 2006
M9999-112806
General Description
The MIC4102 is a high frequency, 100V Half Bridge
MOSFET driver IC featuring internal anti-shoot-through
protection. The low-side and high-side gate drivers are
controlled by a single input signal to the PWM pin. The
MIC4102 implements adaptive anti-shoot-through circuitry
to optimize the switching transitions for maximum
efficiency. The single input control also reduces system
complexity and greatly simplifies the overall design.
The MIC4102 also features a low-side drive disable pin.
This gives the MIC4102 the capability to operate in a non-
synchronous buck mode. This feature allows the MIC4102
to start up into applications where a bias voltage may
already be present without pulling the output voltage down.
Under-voltage protection on both the low-side and high-
side supplies forces the outputs low. An on-chip boot-strap
diode eliminates the discrete diode required with other
driver ICs.
The MIC4102 is available in the SOIC-8L package with a
junction operating range from –40°C to +125°C.
Data sheets and support documentation can be found on
Micrel’s web site at www.micrel.com.
Features
• Drives high- and low-side N-Channel MOSFETs with
single input
• Adaptive anti-shoot-through protection
• Low side drive disable pin
• Bootstrap supply voltage to 118V DC
• Supply voltage up to 16V
• TTL input thresholds
• On-chip bootstrap diode
• Fast 30ns propagation times
• Drives 1000pF load with 10ns rise and 6ns fall times
• Low power consumption
• Supply under-voltage protection
• 2.5Ω pull up , 1.5Ω pull down output resistance
• Space saving SOIC-8L package
• –40°C to +125°C junction temperature range
Applications
• High voltage buck converters
• Networking / Telecom power supplies
• Automotive power supplies
• Current Fed Push-Pull Topologies
• Ultrasonic drivers
• Avionic power supplies
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Typical Application
100V Buck Regulator Solution
Micrel, Inc. MIC4102
November 2006 2
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Ordering Information
Part Number
Standard Pb-Free Input Junction Temp. Range Package
MIC4102BM MIC4102YM TTL –40° to +125°C SOIC-8L
Pin Configur ation
1VDD
HB
HO
HS
8LO
VSS
LS
PWM
7
6
5
2
3
4
SOIC-8L (M)
Pin Description
Pin Number Pin Name Pin Function
1 VDD Positive Supply to lower gate drivers. Decouple this pin to VSS (Pin 7). Bootstrap
diode connected to HB (pin 2).
2 HB High-Side Bootstrap supply. External bootstrap capacitor is required. Connect
positive side of bootstrap capacitor to this pin. Bootstrap diode is on-chip.
3 HO High-Side Output. Connect to gate of High-Side power MOSFET.
4 HS High-Side Source connection. Connect to source of High-Side power MOSFET.
Connect negative side of bootstrap capacitor to this pin.
5 PWM Control Input. PWM high signal makes high-side HO output high, and low-side
LO output low. PWM low signal makes high-side HO output low, and low-side
LO output high.
6 LS Low-Side Disable. When pulled low, this control signal immediately terminates
the low-side LO output drive. The low-side LO output drive will remain low until
this signal is removed. HS drive is not affected by the LS signal. Here is the
logic table:
LS PWM LO HO
0 0 0 0
0 1 0 1
1 0 1 0
1 1 0 1
7 VSS Chip negative supply, generally will be grounded.
8 LO Low-Side Output. Connect to gate of Low-Side power MOSFET.
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November 2006 3
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Absolute Maximum Ratings
(1)
Supply Voltage (V
DD
, V
HB
– V
HS
) ...................... -0.3V to 18V
Input Voltages (V
PWM,
V
LS
) ..................... -0.3V to V
DD
+ 0.3V
Voltage on LO (V
LO
) .............................. -0.3V to V
DD
+ 0.3V
Voltage on HO (V
HO
) ......................V
HS
- 0.3V to V
HB
+ 0.3V
Voltage on HS (continuous) .............................. -1V to 110V
Voltage on HB ..............................................................118V
Average Current in VDD to HB Diode.......................100mA
Junction Temperature (T
J
) ........................–55°C to +150°C
Storage Temperature (T
s
) ..........................-60°C to +150°C
EDS Rating
(3)
..............................................................Note 3
Operating Ratings
(2)
Supply Voltage (V
DD
)........................................ +9V to +16V
Voltage on HS ................................................... -1V to 100V
Voltage on HS (repetitive transient) .................. -5V to 105V
HS Slew Rate............................................................ 50V/ns
Voltage on HB ...................................V
HS
+ 8V to V
HS
+ 16V
and............................................ V
DD
- 1V to V
DD
+ 100V
Junction Temperature (T
J
) ........................ –40°C to +125°C
Junction Thermal Resistance
SOIC-8L (θ
JA
)...................................................140°C/W
Electrical Characteristics
(4)
V
DD
= V
HB
= 12V; V
SS
= V
HS
= 0V; No load on LO or HO; T
A
= 25°C; unless noted. Bold values indicate –40°C< T
J
< +125°C.
Symbol Parameter Condition Min Typ Max Units
Supply Current
I
DD
V
DD
Quiescent Current PWM = 0V 150 450
600 µA
I
DDO
V
DD
Operating Current f = 500kHz 3 3.5
4.0 mA
I
HB
Total HB Quiescent Current PWM = 0V 25 150
200 µA
I
HBO
Total HB Operating Current f = 500kHz 1.5 2.5
3 mA
I
HBS
HB to VSS Current, Quiescent V
HS
= V
HB
= 110V 0.05 1
30 µA
Input Pins (TTL)
V
IL
Low Level Input Voltage
Threshold 0.8 1.5 V
V
IH
High Level Input Voltage
Threshold 1.5
2.2 V
R
I
Input Pull-down Resistance 100 200 500 kΩ
Under Voltage Protection
V
DDR
V
DD
Rising Threshold 6.5 7.3 8.0 V
V
DDH
V
DD
Threshold Hysteresis 0.5 V
V
HBR
HB Rising Threshold 6.0 7.0 8.0 V
V
HBH
HB Threshold Hysteresis 0.4 V
Boost Strap Diode
V
DL
Low-Current Forward Voltage I
VDD-HB
= 100µA 0.4 0.55
0.70 V
V
DH
Low-Current Forward Voltage I
VDD-HB
= 100mA 0.7 0.8
1.0 V
R
D
Dynamic Resistance I
VDD-HB
= 100mA 1.0 1.5
2.0 Ω
Micrel, Inc. MIC4102
November 2006 4
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Electrical Characteristics
Symbol Parameter Condition Min Typ Max Units
LO Gate Driver
V
OLL
Low Level Output Voltage I
LO
= 160mA 0.18 0.3
0.4 V
V
OHL
High Level Output Voltage I
LO
= -100mA, V
OHL
= V
DD
- V
LO
0.25 0.3
0.45 V
I
OHL
Peak Sink Current V
LO
= 0V 3 A
I
OLL
Peak Source Current V
LO
= 12V 2 A
HO Gate Driver
V
OLH
Low Level Output Voltage I
HO
= 160mA 0.22 0.3
0.4 V
V
OHH
High Level Output Voltage I
HO
= -100mA, V
OHH
= V
HB
– V
HO
0.25 0.3
0.45 V
I
OHH
Peak Sink Current V
HO
= 0V 3 A
I
OLH
Peak Source Current V
HO
= 12V 2 A
Switching Specifications (Anti-Shoot-Through Circuitry)
t
LOOFF
Delay between PWM going high
to LO going low 30 45
60 ns
V
LOOFF
Voltage threshold for LO
MOSFET to be considered OFF 1.7 V
t
HOON
Delay between LO OFF to HO
going High 30 50
60 ns
t
HOOFF
Delay between PWM going Low
to HO going low 45 65
70 ns
V
SWth
Switch Node Voltage Threshold
when HO turns off 1 2.5 4 V
t
LOON
Delay between HO MOSFET
being considered off to LO
turning ON
30 60
70 ns
t
LSOFF
Delay between LS going low
and LO turning OFF C
L
= 1000pF 36 45
70 ns
t
SWTO
Forced LO ON, if VLOTH is not
detected 120 250 450 ns
Switching Specification s
t
R
Either Output Rise Time (3V to
9V) C
L
= 1000pF 10 ns
t
F
Either Output Fall Time (3V to
9V) C
L
= 1000pF 6 ns
t
R
Either Output Rise Time (3V to
9V) CL = 0.1µF 0.33 0.6
0.8 µs
t
F
Either Output Fall Time (3V to
9V) CL = 0.1µF 0.2 0.3
0.4 µs
Micrel, Inc. MIC4102
November 2006 5
M9999-112806
Electrical Characteristics (cont.)
Symbol Parameter Condition Min Typ Max Units
Switching Specification s (cont.)
t
PW
Minimum Input Pulse Width that
changes the output with LS=5V
C
L
=0
Note 6
40 60 ns
t
PW
Minimum Output Pulse Width
on HO with min pulse width on
PWM with LS=5V
C
L
=0
Note 6
15 ns
t
PW
Minimum Input Pulse Width that
changes the output with LS=0V
C
L
=0
Note 6
13 20 ns
Minimum Output Pulse Width
on HO with min pulse width on
PWM with LS=0V
C
L
=0
Note 6
20
t
BS
Bootstrap Diode Turn-On or
Turn-Off Time 10 ns
Notes:
1. Exceeding the absolute maximum rating may damage the device.
2. The device is not guaranteed to function outside its operating rating.
3. Devices are ESD sensitive. Handling precautions recommended. Human body model, 1.5kΩ in series with 100pF.
4. Specification for packaged product only.
5. All voltages relative to pin7, V
SS
unless otherwise specified.
6. Guaranteed by design. Not production tested.
Micrel, Inc. MIC4102
November 2006 6
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Typical Characteristics
Micrel, Inc. MIC4102
November 2006 7
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Typical Characteristics (cont.)
Micrel, Inc. MIC4102
November 2006 8
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Timing Diagrams
tLOOFF
30ns
60ns
PWM
LS
Switch node
(HS Pin)
LO
HO
1
23. VLOOFF <1.7V
4
5
6
7. VSWth <(VDD-2.5V)
8
9
10
tHOON
30ns
60ns
tHO O F F
45ns
70ns
tLOON
30ns
70ns
tLSOFF
36ns
70ns
Time Point Action
1-2 PWM signal goes high. This initiates the LO
signal to go low. The delay between PWM high to
(V
LO
–10%) is typically 30ns (t
LOOFF
)
2-4 LO goes low. When LO reaches 1.7V (V
LOOFF
) the
low side MOSFET is deemed to be off. The high
side output HO then goes high. The delay
between 3 and 4 is typically 30ns (T
HOON
); this
allows for large turn off delay times of MOSFETs.
5-7 PWM goes low; HO goes low, typically within
45ns, t
HOOFF
. The switch node (HS pin) is then
monitored; when the switch node is VDD-2.5V
(V
SWTH
) the high side MOSFET is deemed to be
off and the LO output goes high within typically
30ns (t
LOON
). This is controlled by a one shot and
remains high until PWM goes high. This is
because it is possible to have the SW node
oscillate, and could easily bounce through 10V
level. If the LO high transition has not happened
within 250ns, it is forced to happen, unless the LS
input is low.
8-10 If at any time after 7 has occurred and LS pin
goes low, the LO output will turn off within 36ns
(V
LSOFF
). HO will remain off. The LS pin
overrides all shoot through control logic. If LS is
low at the start of the next cycle when PWM
signal goes high then HO shall switch transition
1-4 as normal. I.e. PWM signal equals HO output,
LO = 0V.
Micrel, Inc. MIC4102
November 2006 9
M9999-112806
Functional Diagram
1
5
6
8
4
3
2
V
SS
DRIVER
UVLO
UVLO LEVEL
SHIFT
DRIVER
HV
LEVEL
SHIFT
HB
HO
HS
LO
PWM
V
DD
LS
7
Figure 1. MIC4102 Functional Block Diagram
Functional Description
The MIC4102 is a high voltage, non-inverting,
synchronous MOSFET driver that uses a single PWM
input signal to alternately drive both high-side and low-
side N-Channel MOSFETs. The block diagram of the
MIC4102 is shown in Figure 1.
The MIC4102 input is TTL compatible. The high-side
output buffer includes a high speed level-shifting circuit
that is referenced to the HS pin. An internal diode is
used as part of a bootstrap circuit to provide the drive
voltage for the high-side output.
Startup and UVLO
The UVLO circuit forces both driver outputs low until the
supply voltage exceeds the UVLO threshold. The low-
side UVLO circuit monitors the voltage between the VDD
and VSS pins. The high-side UVLO circuit monitors the
voltage between the HB and HS pins. Hysteresis in the
UVLO circuit prevents noise and finite circuit impedance
from causing chatter during turn-on.
The VDD pin voltage is supplied to the HS pin through
the internal bootstrap diode. The HB pin voltage will
always be a diode drop less than VDD.
Input Stage
The MIC4102 utilizes a TTL compatible input stage. The
PWM input pin is referenced to the VSS pin. The
voltage state of the input signal does not change the
quiescent current draw of the driver. The threshold level
is independent of the VDD supply voltage and there is
no dependence between I
VDD
and the input signal
amplitude. This feature makes the MIC4102 an
excellent level translator that will drive high threshold
MOSFETs from a low voltage PWM IC.
Low-Side Driver
A block diagram of the low-side driver is shown in Figure
2. The low-side driver is designed to drive a ground
(Vss pin) referenced N-channel MOSFET. Low driver
impedances allow the external MOSFET to be turned on
and off quickly. The rail-to-rail drive capability of the
output ensures a low Rdson from the external MOSFET.
A low level applied to PWM pin will cause the HO output
to go low and the LO output to go high. The upper driver
FET turns on and Vdd is applied to the gate of the
external MOSFET. A high level on the PWM pin forces
the LO output low by turning off the upper driver and
turning on the lower driver which ground the gate of the
external MOSFET.
Pulling the LS pin low disables the LO pin.
Micrel, Inc. MIC4102
November 2006 10
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Vss
Vdd
LO
External
FET
Drive
Signal
LS
Figure 2. Low-Side Driver Block Diagram
High-Side Driver and Bootstrap Circuit
A block diagram of the high-side driver and bootstrap
circuit is shown in Figure 3. This driver is designed to
drive a floating N-channel MOSFET, whose source
terminal is referenced to the HS pin.
HS
HB
HO
External
FET
Vdd
C
B
Figure 3. High-Side Dri ver Block Diagra m
A low power, high speed, level shifting circuit isolates the
low side (VSS pin) referenced circuitry from the high-
side (HS pin) referenced driver. Power to the high-side
driver and UVLO circuit is supplied by the bootstrap
circuit while the voltage level of the HS pin is shifted
high.
The bootstrap circuit consists of an internal diode and
external capacitor, C
B
. In a typical application, such as
the synchronous buck converter shown in Figure 4, the
HS pin is at ground potential while the low-side MOSFET
is on. The internal diode allows capacitor C
B
to charge
up to V
DD
-V
D
during this time (where V
D
is the forward
voltage drop of the internal diode). After the low-side
MOSFET is turned off and the HO pin turns on, the
voltage across capacitor C
B
is applied to the gate of the
upper external MOSFET. As the upper MOSFET turns
on, voltage on the HS pin rises with the source of the
high-side MOSFET until it reaches V
IN
. As the HS and
HB pin rise, the internal diode is reverse biased
preventing capacitor C
B
from discharging.
HS
HB
HO
Vdd
C
B
LO
Level
shift
PWM
Vss
Vin
Vout
Cout
Lout
C
VDD
Q1
Q2
Q
FF
_
Q
Figure 4. High-Side Dri ver and Bootstrap Circuit
Micrel, Inc. MIC4102
November 2006 11
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Applications Information
Power Dissipation Considerations
Power dissipation in the driver can be separated into
three areas:
• Internal diode dissipation in the bootstrap circuit
• Internal driver dissipation
• Quiescent current dissipation used to supply the
internal logic and control functions.
Bootstrap Circuit Power Dissipation
Power dissipation of the internal bootstrap diode
primarily comes from the average charging current of the
C
B
capacitor times the forward voltage drop of the diode.
Secondary sources of diode power dissipation are the
reverse leakage current and reverse recovery effects of
the diode.
The average current drawn by repeated charging of the
high-side MOSFET is calculated by:
frequency switching drive gate
Vat ChargeGateTotalQ:where HBgate
)(
=
=
×=
S
SgateAVEF
f
fQI
The average power dissipated by the forward voltage
drop of the diode equals:
drop voltage forward DiodeV:where
F
)(
=
×=
FAVEFfwd
VIPdiode
The value of V
F
should be taken at the peak current
through the diode, however, this current is difficult to
calculate because of differences in source impedances.
The peak current can either be measured or the value of
V
F
at the average current can be used and will yield a
good approximation of diode power dissipation.
The reverse leakage current of the internal bootstrap
diode is typically 11uA at a reverse voltage of 100V and
125C. Power dissipation due to reverse leakage is
typically much less than 1mW and can be ignored.
Reverse recovery time is the time required for the
injected minority carriers to be swept away from the
depletion region during turn-off of the diode. Power
dissipation due to reverse recovery can be calculated by
computing the average reverse current due to reverse
recovery charge times the reverse voltage across the
diode. The average reverse current and power
dissipation due to reverse recovery can be estimated by:
TimeRecovery Reverset
CurrentRecovery Reverse PeakI:where
2
rr
RRM
)(
)(
=
=
×=
×××=
REVAVERRRR
SrrRRMAVERR
VIPdiode ftII
The total diode power dissipation is:
RRfwdtotal
PdiodePdiodePdiode +
=
An optional external bootstrap diode may be used
instead of the internal diode (Figure 5). An external
diode may be useful if high gate charge MOSFETs are
being driven and the power dissipation of the internal
diode is contributing to excessive die temperatures. The
voltage drop of the external diode must be less than the
internal diode for this option to work. The reverse
voltage across the diode will be equal to the input
voltage minus the Vdd supply voltage. A 100V Schottky
diode will work for most 72V input telecom applications.
The above equations can be used to calculate power
dissipation in the external diode, however, if the external
diode has significant reverse leakage current, the power
dissipated in that diode due to reverse leakage can be
calculated as:
supply power the offrequency switching fs
/t CycleDuty D
VoltageReverse Diode V
T and Vatflow current ReverseI:where
)1(
ON
REV
JREVR
=
==
=
=
−××=
S
REVRREV
f
DVIPdiode
The on-time is the time the high-side switch is
conducting. In most power supply topologies, the diode
is reverse biased during the switching cycle off-time.
C
B
Vin
external
diode
HS
HB
HO
Vdd
LO
Level
shift
PWM
Vss
Q
FF
_
Q
Figure 5. Optional Bootstrap Diode
Gate Drive Po wer Dissipation
Power dissipation in the output driver stage is mainly
caused by charging and discharging the gate to source
and gate to drain capacitance of the external MOSFET.
Micrel, Inc.
MIC4102
November 2006 12
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Figure 6 shows a simplified equivalent circuit of the
MIC4102 driving an external MOSFET.
HS
HB
HO
External
FET
Vdd
C
B
Rg Rg_fet
Ron
Roff
Cgd
Cgs
Figure 6. MIC4103 Driving an External MOSFET
Dissipation during the external MOSFET Turn-On
Energy from capacitor C
B
is used to charge up the input
capacitance of the MOSFET (Cgd and Cgs). The
energy delivered to the MOSFET is dissipated in the
three resistive components, Ron, Rg and Rg_fet. Ron is
the on resistance of the upper driver MOSFET in the
MIC4102. Rg is the series resistor (if any) between the
driver IC and the MOSFET. Rg_fet is the gate
resistance of the MOSFET. Rg_fet is usually listed in
the power MOSFET’s specifications. The ESR of
capacitor C
B
and the resistance of the connecting etch
can be ignored since they are much less than Ron and
Rg_fet.
The effective capacitance of Cgd and Cgs is difficult to
calculate since they vary non-linearly with Id, Vgs, and
Vds. Fortunately, most power MOSFET specifications
include a typical graph of total gate charge vs. Vgs.
Figure 7 shows a typical gate charge curve for an
arbitrary power MOSFET. This chart shows that for a
gate voltage of 10V, the MOSFET requires about 23.5nC
of charge. The energy dissipated by the resistive
components of the gate drive circuit during turn-on is
calculated as:
MOSFET the of ecapacitanc gate total the is Ciss
Qg1/2E
so
VCQ
but
2
2
1
where V
VCissE
gs
gs
××=
×=
××=
Figure 7. Typical Gate Charge vs. V
GS
The same energy is dissipated by Roff, Rg and Rg_fet
when the driver IC turns the MOSFET off.
circuit drive gate the offrequency switching the is fs
MOSFET the on voltage source to gate the is Vgs
Vgsat charge gate total the is Qg
off-turn or on-turn during dissipated power the is P
off-turn or on-turn during dissipatedenergy the is E
Qg
2
1
Qg
2
1
E
driver
driver
driver
gsdriver
gs
where
fsVP
and
V
×××=
××=
The power dissipated inside the MIC4102 equals the
ratio of Ron & Roff to the external resistive losses in Rg
and Rg_fet. The power dissipated in the MIC4102 due
to driving the external MOSFET is:
fetRgRgRoff Roff
P
fetRgRgRon Ron
PPdiss
driverdriverdrive
__ ++
×+
++
×=
Supply Current Power Dissipation
Power is dissipated in the MIC4102 even if is there is
nothing being driven. The supply current is drawn by the
bias for the internal circuitry, the level shifting circuitry
and shoot-through current in the output drivers. The
supply current is proportional to operating frequency and
the Vdd and Vhb voltages. The typical characteristic
graphs show how supply current varies with switching
frequency and supply voltage.
Micrel, Inc. MIC4102
November 2006 13
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The power dissipated by the MIC4102 due to supply
current is
IhbVhbIddVddPdiss ply ×+×=
sup
Total power dissipation and Thermal Considerations
Total power dissipation in the MIC41032 equals the
power dissipation caused by driving the external
MOSFETs, the supply current and the internal bootstrap
diode .
totaldriveplytotal PdiodePdissPdissPdiss ++= sup
The die temperature may be calculated once the total
power dissipation is known.
JAtotalAJ
PdissTT
θ
×+=
C/W)( air ambient to junction from resistance thermal the is θ
MIC4102 the of ndissipatio power the is Pdiss
C)( etemperatur junction the is T
etemperatur ambient maximum the is T
:
JC
total
J
A
°
°
where
Anti Shoot-Through, Propagation Delay and other
Timing Considerations
The block diagram in Figure 1 illustrates how the
MIC4102 drives the power stage of a synchronous buck
converter. It is important that only one of the two
MOSFETs is on at any given time. If both MOSFETs are
simultaneously on they will short Vin to ground, causing
high current from the Vin supply to “shoot through” the
MOSFETs into ground. Excessive shoot-through causes
higher power dissipation in the MOSFETs, voltage
spikes and ringing in the circuit. The high current and
voltage ringing generate conducted and radiated EMI.
Minimizing shoot-through can be done passively,
actively or though a combination of both. Passive shoot-
through protection uses delays between the high and
low gate drivers to prevent both MOSFETs from being
on at the same time. These delays can be adjusted for
different applications. Although simple, the
disadvantage of this approach is the long delays
required to account for process and temperature
variations in the MOSFET and MOSFET driver.
Active shoot-though monitors voltages on the gate drive
outputs and switch node to determine when to switch
the MOSFETs on and off. This active approach adjusts
the delays to account for some of the variations, but it
too has its disadvantages. High currents and fast
switching voltages in the gate drive and return paths can
cause parasitic ringing that may turn the MOSFETs back
on even though the gate driver output is low. Another
disadvantage is the driver cannot monitor the gate
voltage inside the MOSFET. Figure 8 shows an
equivalent circuit, including parasitics, of the gate driver
section. The internal gate resistance (Rg_gate) and any
external damping resistor (Rg) isolate the MOSFET’s
gate from the driver output. There is a delay between
when the driver output goes low and the MOSFET turns
off. This turn-off delay is usually specified in the
MOSFET data sheet. This delay increases when an
external damping resistor is used.
HS
HB
HO HS FET
Vdd
Rg
Rg_fet
Ron
Roff
Cgd
Cgs
LO Rg_fet
Cgd
Cgs
Vin
LS FET
Ron
Roff
Vss
Switching
Node
Figure 8. Gate Drive Circuit with Parasitics
The MIC4102 uses a combination of active sensing and
passive delay to insure that both MOSFETs are not on at
the same time and to minimize shoot-through current.
The timing diagram helps illustrate how the anti-shoot-
through circuitry works. A high level on the PWM pin
causes the LO pin to go low. The MIC4102 monitors the
LO pin voltage and prevents the HO pin from turning on
until the voltage on the LO pin reaches the V
LOOFF
threshold. After a short delay, the MIC4102 drives the
HO pin high. Monitoring the LO voltage eliminates any
excessive delay due to the MOSFET drivers turn-off time
and the short delay accounts for the MOSFET turn-off
delay as well as letting the LO pin voltage settle out. An
external resistor between the LO output and the
MOSFET may affect the performance of the LO pin
monitoring circuit and is not recommended.
A low on the PWM pin causes the HO pin to go low after
a short delay (T
HOOFF
). Before the LO pin can go high,
Micrel, Inc. MIC4102
November 2006 14
M9999-112806
the voltage on the switching node (HS pin) must have
dropped to 2.5V below the Vdd voltage. Monitoring the
switch voltage instead of the HO pin voltage eliminates
timing variations and excessive delays due to the high
side MOSFET turn-off. The LO driver turns on after a
short delay (T
LOON
). Once the LO driver is turn on, it is
latched on until the PWM signal goes high. This
prevents any ringing or oscillations on the switch node or
HS pin from turning off the LO driver. If the PWM pin
goes low and the voltage on the HS pin does not cross
the V
SWth
threshold, the LO pin will be forced high after a
short delay (T
SWTO
), insuring proper operation.
Fast propagation delay between the input and output
drive waveform is desirable. It improves overcurrent
protection by decreasing the response time between the
control signal and the MOSFET gate drive. Minimizing
propagation delay also minimizes phase shift errors in
power supplies with wide bandwidth control loops.
Care must be taken to insure the input signal pulse width
is greater than the minimum specified pulse width. An
input signal that is less than the minimum pulse width
may result in no output pulse or an output pulse whose
width is significantly less than the input.
The maximum duty cycle (ratio of high side on-time to
switching period) is determined by the time required for
the C
B
capacitor to charge during the off-time. Adequate
time must be allowed for the C
B
capacitor to charge up
before the high-side driver is turned back on.
The anti-shoot-through circuit in the MIC4102 prevents
the driver from turning both MOSFETs on at the same
time, however, other factors outside of the anti-shoot-
through circuit’s control can cause shoot-through. Some
of these are ringing on the gate drive node and
capacitive coupling of the switching node voltage on the
gate of the low-side MOSFET.
Decoupling and Bootstrap Cap acitor Selection
Decoupling capacitors are required for both the low side
(Vdd) and high side (HB) supply pins. These capacitors
supply the charge necessary to drive the external
MOSFETs as well as minimize the voltage ripple on
these pins. The capacitor from HB to HS serves double
duty by providing decoupling for the high-side circuitry as
well as providing current to the high-side circuit while the
high-side external MOSFET is on. Ceramic capacitors
are recommended because of their low impedance and
small size. Z5U type ceramic capacitor dielectrics are
not recommended due to the large change in
capacitance over temperature and voltage. A minimum
value of 0.1uf is required for each of the capacitors,
regardless of the MOSFETs being driven. Larger
MOSFETs may require larger capacitance values for
proper operation. The voltage rating of the capacitors
depends on the supply voltage, ambient temperature
and the voltage derating used for reliability. 25V rated
X5R or X7R ceramic capacitors are recommended for
most applications. The minimum capacitance value
should be increased if low voltage capacitors are use
since even good quality dielectric capacitors, such as
X5R, will lose 40% to 70% of their capacitance value at
the rated voltage.
Placement of the decoupling capacitors is critical. The
bypass capacitor for Vdd should be placed as close as
possible between the Vdd and Vss pins. The bypass
capacitor (C
B
) for the HB supply pin must be located as
close as possible between the HB and HS pins. The
etch connections must be short, wide and direct. The
use of a ground plane to minimize connection
impedance is recommended. Refer to the section on
layout and component placement for more information.
The voltage on the bootstrap capacitor drops each time
it delivers charge to turn on the MOSFET. The voltage
drop depends on the gate charge required by the
MOSFET. Most MOSFET specifications specify gate
charge vs. Vgs voltage. Based on this information and a
recommended ∆V
HB
of less than 0.1V, the minimum
value of bootstrap capacitance is calculated as:
pin HB the at drop Voltage ∆
VatChargeGateTotalQ:where
HB
HBgate
=
=
∆
≥
HB
gate
BV
Q
C
The decoupling capacitor for the Vdd input may be
calculated in with the same formula, however, the two
capacitors are usually equal in value.
Grounding, Component Placement and Circuit
Layout
Nanosecond switching speeds and ampere peak
currents in and around the MIC4102 driver require
proper placement and trace routing of all components.
Improper placement may cause degraded noise
immunity, false switching, excessive ringing or circuit
latch-up.
Figure 9 shows the critical current paths when the driver
outputs go high and turn on the external MOSFETs. It
also shown the need for a low impedance ground plane.
Charge needed to turn-on the MOSFET gates comes
from the decoupling capacitors C
VDD
and C
B
. Current in
the low-side gate driver flows from C
VDD
through the
internal driver, into the MOSFET gate and out the
Source. The return connection back to the decoupling
capacitor is made through the ground plane. Any
inductance or resistance in the ground return path
causes a voltage spike or ringing to appear on the
source of the MOSFET. This voltage works against the
gate voltage and can either slow down or turn off the
MOSFET during the period where it should be turned on.
Micrel, Inc. MIC4102
November 2006 15
M9999-112806
Current in the high-side driver is sourced from capacitor
C
B
and flows into the HB pin and out the HO pin, into
the gate of the high side MOSFET. The return path for
the current is from the source of the MOSFET and back
to capacitor C
B
. The high-side circuit return path usually
does not have a low impedance ground plane so the
etch connections in this critical path should be short and
wide to minimize parasitic inductance. As with the low-
side circuit, impedance between the MOSFET source
and the decoupling capacitor causes negative voltage
feedback which fights the turn-on of the MOSFET.
It is important to note that capacitor CB must be placed
close to the HB and HS pins. This capacitor not only
provides all the energy for turn-on but it must also keep
HB pin noise and ripple low for proper operation of the
high-side drive circuitry.
HS
HB
HO
Vdd
C
B
LO
LS
PWM
Vss
LO
C
Vdd
gnd
plane
gnd
plane
Low-side drive turn-on
current path
High-side drive turn-on
current path
Level
shift
_
Q
FF
Q
Figure 9. Turn-on Curren t Path s
Figure 10 shows the critical current paths when the
driver outputs go low and turn off the external
MOSFETs. Short, low impedance connections are
important during turn-off for the same reasons given in
the turn-on explanation. Current flowing through the
internal diode replenishes charge in the bootstrap
capacitor, CB.
HS
HB
HO
Vdd
C
B
LO
Level
shift
LS
PWM
Vss
LO
C
Vdd
Low-side drive turn-off
current path
High-side drive turn-off
current path
Charge C
B
through
internal diode when
HS pin is low
_
Q
FF
Q
Figure 10. Turn-off Curren t Paths
The following circuit guidelines should be adhered to for
optimum circuit performance:
1. The Vcc and HB bypass capacitors must be
placed close to the supply and ground pins. It is
critical that the etch length between the high
side decoupling capacitor (C
B
) and the HB & HS
pins be minimized to reduce lead inductance.
2. A ground plane should be used to minimize
parasitic inductance and impedance of the
return paths. The MIC4102 is capable of greater
than 3A peak currents and any impedance
between the MIC4102, the decoupling
capacitors and the external MOSFET will
degrade the performance of the driver.
3. Trace out the high di/dt and dv/dt paths, as
shown in Figures 9 and 10 to minimize the etch
length and loop area for these connections.
Minimizing these parameters decreases the
parasitic inductance and the radiated EMI
generated by fast rise and fall times.
A typical layout of a synchronous Buck converter
power stage using the MIC4102 (Figure 11) is
shown in Figure 12.
Micrel, Inc. MIC4102
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M9999-112806
F
Figure 11. Typical Converter Power Stage
Figure 12. Typical Layout of a Synchronous Buck Converter Power Stage
1. The circuit is configured as a synchronous buck
power stage. The high-side MOSFET drain
connects to the input supply voltage (drain) and
the source connects to the switching node. The
low-side MOSFET drain connects to the
switching node and its source is connected to
ground. The buck converter output inductor (not
shown) would connect to the switching node.
The high-side drive trace, HO, is routed on top
of its return trace, HS, to minimize loop area and
parasitic inductance. The low-side drive trace,
LO is routed over the ground plane which
minimizes the impedance of that current path.
The decoupling capacitors, C
B
and C
VDD
are
placed to minimize etch length between the
capacitors and their respective pins. This close
placement is necessary to efficiently charge
capacitor C
B
when the HS node is low. All
traces are 0.025” wide or greater to reduce
impedance. Cin is used to decouple the high
current path through the MOSFETs.
Micrel, Inc. MIC4102
November 2006 17
M9999-112806
Package Information
8-Pin SOIC (M)
MICREL, INC. 2180 FORTUNE DRIVE SAN JOSE, CA 95131 USA
TEL +1 (408) 944-0800 FAX +1 (408) 474-1000 WEB http:/www.micrel.com
The information furnished by Micrel in this data sheet is believed to be accurate and reliable. However, no responsibility is assumed by Micrel for its
use. Micrel reserves the right to change circuitry and specifications at any time without notification to the customer.
Micrel Products are not designed or authorized for use as components in life support appliances, devices or systems where malfunction of a product
reasonably be expected to result in personal injury. Life support devices or systems are devices or systems that (a) are intended for surgical impla
into the body or (b) support or sustain life, and whose failure to perform can be reasonably expected to result in a significant injury to the user. A
Purchaser’s use or sale of Micrel Products for use in life support appliances, devices or systems is a Purchaser’s own risk and Purchaser agrees to fully
indemnify Micrel for any damages resulting from such use or sale.
can nt
© 2006 Micrel, Incorporated.
