Photovoltaic MOSFET driver has integrated turn-off circuit

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc has released a new automotive grade photovoltaic MOSFET driver, the first device to provide an integrated turn-off circuit in the space-saving SOP-4 package. Created to supply high performance for automotive applications – while expanding design flexibility and reducing costs – the Vishay Semiconductors VOMDA1271 provides the industry's fastest switching times and highest open circuit output voltage.

The integrated turn-off circuit of the optocoupler allows a turn-off time of 0.7ms typically, which is the fastest for a MOSFET driver in the compact SOP-4 footprint. Also, the device supplies a turn-on time of 0.05ms – twice as fast as competing devices – and is the only driver in this package size to deliver an isolation voltage of 3750V and a typical open circuit output voltage of 8.5V, which enables it to drive various MOSFETs.

The AEC-Q102-qualified device is intended for pre-charge circuits, wall chargers, and BMS for EV and HEV. To generate the higher voltages required to drive IGBTs and SiC MOSFETs in these applications, two optocouplers may be employed in series. Also, the driver allows designers to produce custom solid-state relays to replace legacy electromechanical relays in next-generation vehicles.

The optically isolated device provides an AIGaAs IRLED, emitting light absorbed by a photovoltaic gate array, generating the voltage to turn on a MOSFET. This construction simplifies designs and lowers costs by eradicating the necessity for an external power supply. The device can be driven by a microcontroller's GPIO pin for even greater design flexibility. The optocoupler is RoHS-compliant, halogen-free, and Vishay Green.