Allegro MicroSystems has released its AHV85003 and AHV85043 isolated gate driver chipset, expanding its Power-Thru isolated gate driver portfolio. This chipset joins Allegro’s existing AHV85311 integrated solution, forming a product ecosystem for high-voltage silicon carbide (SiC) designs in EVs, data centers and other systems. Allegro says that this new offering addresses the challenge of power conversion design in 800-volt systems by eliminating the need for external isolated bias supplies for gate drivers, which can reduce the overall solution footprint and bill of materials.
The Power-Thru isolated gate drivers integrate both signal and power across a single isolation barrier. This architecture reduces common-mode capacitance by up to 15 times compared to traditional isolated gate drivers that use external bias DC-DC converters. The company says that the devices achieve up to a 20 decibel improvement in electromagnetic interference (EMI) performance compared to leading competitor solutions, which can significantly boost system efficiency and reduce noise challenges for design teams.
For EV designers using SiC FETs, the expanded product family supports a multi-source strategy with selectable gate-to-source voltages of 15, 18, or 20 volts, along with adjustable regulated negative voltage. This enables compatibility across SiC FETs from different vendors, reducing the need for board redesigns. The new portfolio provides two options: the AHV85311 integrated solution includes the isolation transformer for a streamlined, all-in-one approach, while the new AHV85003 and AHV85043 chipset allows engineers to customize external transformer selection to meet specific isolation requirements and optimize layout or cost.
“We are redefining what engineers should expect from a gate driver,” said Vijay Mangtani, Vice President and GM of High Voltage Power Products at Allegro MicroSystems. “With Power-Thru, we solved the fundamental physics problem of noise in high-voltage systems. Now, by offering both a chipset and an integrated solution, we are giving our customers a complete toolkit. Whether they need the plug-and-play speed of an integrated solution or the granular control of a chipset, they get the same game-changing efficiency and the freedom to use the SiC FETs of their choice.”
Source: Allegro MicroSystems
