New asymmetrical TVS diodes protect SiC MOSFET gate drivers
The TPSMB TVS diodes from Littelfuse, for use in new electric vehicles and infrastructure, provide a single-component alternative to traditional approaches to transient protection for high-frequency gate drivers.
Littelfuse has launched the TPSMB series of asymmetrical transient voltage suppression (TVS) diodes, the industry’s first to be optimized for protection of silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET gate drivers in automotive applications.Â
This innovative product meets the increasing demand for reliable over-voltage protection in electric vehicles (EVs): the TVS diodes provide a compact, single-component solution which replaces the multiple Zener diodes or TVS components traditionally used for gate driver protection.Â
The TPSMB protection for SiC MOSFET gate drivers is valuable: the gate drivers are prone to over-voltage events because the SiC MOSFETs typically switch faster than traditional silicon-based MOSFETs or IGBTs.Â
The asymmetrical design of the TPSMB series mirrors the positive and negative gate-driver voltage requirements of the SiC MOSFETs. The TVS diodes maintain stable capacitance across a wide operating-frequency range up to 2 MHz, which is ideal for SiC MOSFET applications.
The TPSMB series is supplied in a compact DO-214AA surface-mount J-bend package.