Page 35 - PEN eBook May 2022

COMPONENTS Components

As shown in Figure 1, EVs integrate a multitude of sensors and electronic circuits, including a
high-voltage bus (400 V, 800 V, or more) and a local low-voltage bus. SiC devices are replacing the
Si-based counterparts in high-voltage systems, such as on-board chargers, battery management

systems, main DC/DC converters, and traction inverters.

Advanced Solutions for

Driving and Protecting

Power Switches Figure 1: Switch technology in EV systems

The high-voltage bus poses serious safety concerns, and it must be galvanically isolated from the
By Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio, editor-in-chief of Power Electronics News low-voltage bus while still allowing the exchange of information, in both directions, between the
two voltage domains.
Today, new power switch technologies are being widely adopted in demanding applications in which
high power density, high switching frequency, and small form factor are critical requirements. The SKYWORKS ISOLATED GATE DRIVERS
three key applications in which these new switch devices make a difference are: Skyworks Solutions, a leading company that provides highly innovative analog semiconductors for
wireless networking applications, has recently completed the acquisition of the infrastructure and

1. Automotive (traction inverters, DC/DC converters, and on-board chargers) automotive business of Silicon Labs. Addressing the growth in key automotive segments, including
electric and hybrid vehicles, Skyworks provides high-performance and robust isolated gate drivers
2. Industrial/motor control (point-of-load supplies, uninterruptible power supplies, robotics, for silicon, GaN, and SiC power switches.
motor control)
Charlie Ice, product manager at Skyworks Solutions, held a technical presentation on “Driving and
3. Power supply/solar (solar inverters, telecom power supplies, servers/cloud/PC power supplies) Protecting the Power Switches of the Future” at PowerUP Expo 2021, talking about key gate driver
requirements and protection methods for both Si-based and wide-bandgap power devices. The

Power switches are fabricated either using conventional silicon-based technology, such as same topics will be presented in this article.
MOSFETs and insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), or using the more recent wide-bandgap
semiconductors, such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride. Among the relevant applications, “Especially in EVs, we have to make sure that the high-voltage and the low-voltage sides remain
automotive is the sector that has gained more momentum in recent years, mainly due to the isolated while at the same time ensuring they can still communicate and exchange information
undergoing transition toward e-mobility and the progressive adoption of electric vehicles. through that barrier,” said Charlie.

68 MAY 2022 | www.powerelectronicsnews.com MAY 2022 | www.powerelectronicsnews.com 69