Driver circuit, switching control circuit, and switching device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10848145-B2
Application number	US-201715801197-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 1, 2017
Priority date	May 13, 2015
Publication date	Nov 24, 2020
Grant date	Nov 24, 2020

Abstract

A driver circuit which is supplied with a positive power supply voltage, a negative power supply voltage, and an input signal, and drives a switching element including a control terminal according to the input signal includes: a first output terminal connected to the control terminal via a first impedance circuit, and outputs the positive power supply voltage or the negative power supply voltage according to the input signal, to charge the control terminal and put the switching element into an ON state; a negative power supply terminal supplied with the negative power supply voltage; a negative voltage switch having a first end connected to the negative power supply terminal; a third output terminal connected to a second end of the negative voltage switch and to the control terminal via a second impedance circuit; and a first discharge switch disposed between the negative power supply terminal and the first output terminal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A driver circuit which is supplied with a positive power supply voltage, a negative power supply voltage, and an input signal, and drives a switching element including a control terminal according to the input signal, the driver circuit comprising:
a first output terminal which is connected to the control terminal via a first impedance circuit, and outputs the positive power supply voltage or the negative power supply voltage according to the input signal, to charge the control terminal and put the switching element into an ON state;
a negative power supply terminal which is supplied with the negative power supply voltage;
a negative voltage switch having a first end connected to the negative power supply terminal;
a third output terminal which is connected to a second end of the negative voltage switch, and connected to the control terminal via a second impedance circuit;
a first discharge switch disposed between the negative power supply terminal and the first output terminal;
a current supply circuit; and
a second output terminal connected to the current supply circuit, the second output terminal being different from the first output terminal,
wherein the driver circuit puts the switching element into an ON state by supplying, to the control terminal, a first current converted from the positive power supply voltage output from the first output terminal by the first impedance circuit and a second current which is output from the current supply circuit via the second output terminal.

2. The driver circuit according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the negative voltage switch and the first discharge switch is put into a conduction state according to the input signal, and the switching element is put into an OFF state by discharging a current from the control terminal.

3. The driver circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the driver circuit causes the current supply circuit to output the second current after an elapse of predetermined time following a start of supply of the first current to the control terminal according to the input signal when putting the switching element into an ON state.

4. The driver circuit according to claim 1 ,
wherein the switching element;
includes the control terminal, a first terminal, and a second terminal; and
causes the current supply circuit to output the second current when a voltage between the control terminal and the second terminal of the switching element reaches or exceeds a predetermined voltage.

5. The driver circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the current supply circuit outputs the second current which has a current value larger than or equal to a first current value during a predetermined period after a start of output of the second current, and outputs the second current which has a constant current value smaller than the first current value after an elapse of the predetermined period.

6. The driver circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the driver circuit drives the switching element by supplying the first current and the second current to the control terminal of the switching element of a voltage application—current driven type.

7. The driver circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the driver circuit drives the switching element by supplying the first current and the second current to the control terminal of the switching element which is a gate injection transistor made using gallium nitride (GaN-GIT).

8. The driver circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising a discharge switch which is connected to the negative power supply terminal and at least one of the second output terminal and the control terminal, the discharge switch being for discharging charge accumulated in the first impedance circuit by being put into a conduction state when the switching element is put into an OFF state.

9. The driver circuit according to claim 1 ,
wherein a positive power supply terminal is supplied with the positive power supply voltage,
a negative power supply which supplies the negative power supply voltage to the negative power supply terminal includes:
a series regulator which is connected to the positive power supply terminal, and outputs a voltage obtained by reducing and stabilizing the positive power supply voltage; and
an inverse type switched capacitor converter which inverts an output from the series regulator to generate the negative voltage.

10. The driver circuit according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a positive power supply terminal supplied with the positive power supply voltage; and
at least part of:
a series regulator which is connected to the positive power supply terminal, and outputs a voltage obtained by reducing and stabilizing the positive power supply voltage; and
an inverse type switched capacitor convertor which inverses an output from the series regulator to generate the negative power supply voltage.

11. A switching control circuit which is supplied with a positive power supply voltage and an input signal, and drives a switching element including a control terminal according to the input signal, the switching control circuit comprising:
a first impedance circuit including a predetermined resistive element; and
a current supply circuit,
wherein the switching control circuit controls the switching element by supplying, to the control terminal, a first current converted from the positive power supply voltage by the first impedance circuit and a second current which is output from the current supply circuit when putting the switching element into an ON state, and
wherein the switching control circuit is supplied with a negative power supply voltage,
the switching control circuit further comprising:
a first output terminal which is connected to the control terminal via the first impedance circuit, and outputs the positive power supply voltage according to the input signal, to charge the control terminal and put the switching element into an ON state;
a second impedance circuit including a predetermined resistive element;
a negative power supply terminal which is supplied with the negative power supply voltage;
a negative voltage switch having a first end connected to the negative voltage supply terminal and a second end connected to the control terminal via the second impedance circuit;
a first discharge switch having a first end connected to the negative power supply terminal and a second end connected to the first output terminal; and
a second discharge switch having a first end connected to the negative power supply terminal and a second end directly connected to the control terminal.

12. The switching control circuit according to claim 11 ,
when putting the switching element into an OFF state, the switching control circuit putting at least one of the negative voltage switch, the first discharge switch, and the second discharge switch into a conduction state to discharge the control terminal.

13. The switching control circuit according to claim 11 ,
wherein the first impedance circuit includes
a circuit to which the predetermined resistive element and a capacitive element are connected in series.

14. The switching control circuit according to claim 11 , wherein the switching control circuit controls the switching element by supplying the first current and the second current to the control terminal of the switching element of a voltage application—current driven type.

15. The switching control circuit according to claim 11 , wherein the switching control circuit controls the switching element by supplying the first current and the second current to the control terminal of the switchi

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd
• Panasonic Semiconductor Solutions Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ishii Takuya
• Kawakami Yoshihito
• Uehara Takahiro
• Katase Ginga

Classifications

• H02M1/08 Primary

  Circuits specially adapted for the generation of control voltages for semiconductor devices incorporated in static converters · CPC title

• H03K17/163 Primary

  Soft switching · CPC title

• H03K17/04123

  in field-effect transistor switches · CPC title

• H02M3/158

  including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load · CPC title

• H02M3/073

  Charge pumps of the Schenkel-type · CPC title