ADuM3220 drives switching FETs in DC/DC converters

The 4A isolated gate driver is integrated with ADI's iCoupler digital-isolation technology.

The ADuM3220 replaces traditional discrete gate-driver solutions, saving up to 70 percent of the board space and reducing costs by up to 30 percent for small DC/DC module designs.

Discrete offerings use separate components for isolation and gate drive, including large difficult-to-use pulse transformers and optocouplers that provide poor performance and degrade over time.

The ADuM3220 dual-channel gate driver offers 60ns max propagation delay and 5ns max channel-to-channel skew.

It provides two independent isolation channels and operates with an input supply voltage ranging from 3.0 to 5.5V, providing compatibility with lower-voltage systems.

Each output may be operated from 7 to 18V to support typical gate-driver voltages for synchronous DC/DC converters.

The outputs of the ADuM3220 default to a logic-low state, preventing both gate drivers from being on at the same time and eliminating potential damage of the high-voltage FETs.

The ADuM3220 operates over a -40 to 125C temperature range.

In comparison to gate drivers employing high-voltage level-translation methodologies, the ADuM3220 offers the benefit of true galvanic isolation between the input and each output, enabling voltage translation and safety isolation across the isolation barrier.

It has 2.5kVrms isolation rating with UL, IEC and VDE certifications pending.