RECOM — RA3 Series Gate Driver Modules

RECOM has introduced the RA3 series of low-cost, unregulated 3 W dc-dc converters, which provide the optimum voltages for driving the gate of semiconductor power switches, including new wide bandgap devices.

Variants are available with single 8 V or 9 V outputs, or dual +7 V/-1 V, +15 V/-3 V, or +20 V/-5 V outputs. These values cover the requirements of IGBTs, silicon MOSFETs, and the latest silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs and gallium nitride (GaN) high electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs).

The parts offer high isolation of 5.2 kV for one minute. For EMI, the requirements of the EN 55032 Class A specification are met without extra filtering; Class B requires just a simple LC filter.

Input-voltage options are +5 V, +12 V, and +24 V with ±10% tolerance, and efficiency is typically better than 80%. Isolation capacitance is less than 10 pF, giving high immunity to the fast, high-voltage switching edges seen in high-side drivers, particularly when driving a SiC or GaN switch.

The surface-mount RA3 modules have land grid-style terminations. The module footprint is 23.4 mm x 15 mm, and it is 8.5 mm high, markedly smaller than competing gate driver products. The surface-mount format with wide spacings enables the necessary high isolation to be achieved on a customer PCB between the dc-dc output pins and other circuitry, requiring connection only to the top layer of the board.