With a maximum rail voltage of 220V, STDRIVEG211, as it will be known, is intended to work from 72V batteries and 110Vac power lines.
To protect the GaN gates, the two drive voltages are regulated to 6V maximum, and under-voltage lock-out it provided on both high and low channels.
Maximum drive is 2.4A and 1.2Ω sink, and 1A and 3.7Ω source.
Unusually, instead of dual pull-up and pull-down outputs for separate resistors to provide controlled GaN turn-on and turn-off (respectively) in each channel, the IC only has a single gate resistor in each channel, but also a series turn-on-control resistor on the output driver’s high-side (see diagram). As this scheme can provide equal performance, Electronics Weekly has asked why ST has broken with tradition (before the company responds, feel free to ponder this in the comment section below).
External gate-source capacitors (not shown) instead of high gate resistors are recommended for motor control applications where slower-than-usual turn-on and turn-off times are often required – the data sheet has clear information on this.
An internal comparator is provided to detect output short-circuits via an external low-side resistor. “The low-side driver has been designed to allow the use of current sense resistors”, according to the company.
This comparator feeds a circuit block that automatically shuts down both outputs if a short-circuit is detected.
A similar IC, STDRIVEG210, is available without the comparator and turn-off circuit should the application require this to be done elsewhere.
Logic is provided to reduce the chances of cross-conduction in the GaN transistors, and high-to-low channel matching is ~10ns, said ST.
The company claims 300ns start-up time, allowing the ICs to be used in burst-mode.
Te IC requires a supply of 10.7 to 18V (tolerant of 7.5 to 20V with respect to power ground) and will operate with its junctions between -40 to +125°C (over-temperature protection is provided).
Packaging is 5 x 4mm 18pad QFN.
Use is foreseen in both resonant and hard-switching power supplies.
Beyond this, the comparator-inclusive STDRIVEG211 is intended for motor drives (power tools, e-bikes, pumps, servos) and class-D audio amplifiers, while the comparator-bereft STDRIVEG210 can be used for solar micro-inverters, LED lighting and USB-C power sources.
Find the STDRIVEG211 data sheet here
