| 摘要 |
Driver circuitry for switching systems comprising enhancement mode (E-Mode) GaN power transistors with low threshold voltage is disclosed. An E-Mode high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) D3 has a monolithically integrated GaN driver, comprising smaller E-Mode GaN HEMTs D1 and D2, and a discrete dual-voltage pre-driver. In operation, D1 provides the gate drive voltage to the gate of the GaN switch D3, and D2 clamps the gate of the GaN switch D3 to the source, via an internal source-sense connection closely coupling the source of D3 and the source of D2. An additional source-sense connection is provided for the pre-driver. Boosting the drive voltage to the gate of D1 produces firm and rapid pull-up of D1 and D3 for improved switching performance at higher switching speeds. High current handling components of the driver circuitry are integrated with the GaN switch and closely coupled to reduce inductance, while the discrete pre-driver can be thermally separated from the GaN chip. |
| 主权项 |
1. A GaN transistor switching device comprising:
an enhancement mode (E-Mode) GaN switch having an integrated GaN driver; the E-Mode GaN switch comprising a GaN transistor switch D3 fabricated on a substrate and the integrated GaN driver being integrated monolithically with the GaN transistor switch D3 on the substrate, wherein: the integrated GaN driver comprises a first, pull-up, E-Mode GaN driver transistor D1 and a second, pull-down, E-Mode GaN driver transistor D2, the drain of the D1 being coupled to Vcc, and the source of D1 being coupled to the drain of D2 at a node N, and node N being coupled to the gate of D3, and an internal source-sense connection closely coupling the source of D3 and the source of D2, such that the first transistor D1 operates to deliver a drive voltage to the gate of the GaN transistor switch D3, and the second transistor D2 operates to clamp the gate of the GaN transistor switch D3 to Vss by means of the internal source-sense connection SSinternal; inputs for coupling to a pre-driver supplying gate drive voltages to the gates of D1 and D2 and, optionally, to the gate of D3, and an external source-sense connection SSexternal for coupling to the pre-driver. |
