Designed for applications in switchmode power supplies, electronic lamp ballast and motor control, the new STMicroelectronics L6384, L6385 and L6386 High Voltage Half Bridge Driver integrated circuits drive two power MOS or IGBT transistors, one in high side configuration, one low side.

Compared to alternative discrete, pulse transformer and optocoupler solutions the new chips reduce the component count, saving space and increasing reliability. Moreover they are the only integrated gate drivers in the 600V class which also include the bootstrap diode, making this the most compact solution on the market.

It is really nice to see the integrations that are coming along for the power supply part of our industry. These parts are another leap forward in reducing the component count -- and therefore cost -- in complex switch-mode power supplies. They also get rid of a number of "nasty" parts like pulse transformers which are the bane of any designer. The 600-V high voltage rating, and the capacity to work at low voltages as well, will allow these parts to be a universal design solution in supplies with various output voltages. This will increase the savings again in design time and effort, layout time and inventory requirements. All three parts will find different uses in difficult supply designs using the various safety and logic features.