A method and apparatus is disclosed for maintaining a stable power supply to a circuit when activating/deactivating a switch in order to accelerate the switching time of the switch. The gate of a FET is coupled to a switch driver. The switch driver is powered by a positive power supply and a negative power supply. When the switch is to be activated/deactivated, the gate is first coupled to a reference potential (i.e., ground) for a “reset period” to reduce any positive/negative charge that has been accumulated in the FET. At the end of the reset period, the gate is then released from the reference potential and the switch driver drives the gate to the desired voltage level to either activate or deactivate the switch.

An isolated gate driver includes a transformer including primary and secondary windings, a synchronous rectifier connected between the secondary winding and an output terminal of the isolated gate driver, a first switch including a first terminal connected to a supply voltage, a second switch including a first terminal connected to the supply voltage, a first damping resistance connected between a first terminal of the secondary winding and a second terminal of the first switch, a second damping resistance connected between a second terminal of the secondary winding and a second terminal of the second switch, a first inverter including an input connected to the first terminal of the secondary winding and an output connected to a gate terminal of the first switch, and a second inverter including an input connected to the second terminal of the secondary winding and an output connected to a gate terminal of the second switch.

A switching element drive circuit that drives a main switching element by providing a control terminal of the main switching element with a drive signal that has asymmetric positive and negative potentials with respect to a reference potential, the main switching element including a ground terminal, which is a source terminal or an emitter terminal, and to which the reference potential is connected.

A control device for connecting between two portions of an electrical power supply line. The device includes a bipolar transistor including a wide bandgap semiconductor material and having its emitter connected to one portion of the power supply line, its collector connected to another portion of the power supply line, and the device also including control connected to the base of the transistor.

A driver metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor DrMOS, an integrated circuit, an electronic device, and a preparation method are provided. The DrMOS mainly includes a first die and a second die. The first die includes a drive circuit and a first switching transistor, and the drive circuit is connected to a gate of the first switching transistor. The second die includes a second switching transistor, and the drive circuit is connected to a gate of the second switching transistor through a first conductor. The drive circuit and the first switching transistor are prepared in a same die. This helps to reduce an area, loss, and costs of the DrMOS. The first switching transistor and the second switching transistor are prepared in different dies that reduces type selection limitation.

A bootstrapping gate driver circuit in which the size of the bootstrap capacitors is reduced. The gate-to-source voltage of the high side (pull-up) FET is pre-driven to an initial voltage (pre-driven voltage) before the bootstrap capacitor releases charge to charge up the gate-to-source voltage of the high side FET. This pre-driven voltage is applied through a pre-driven FET that allows current flow from the supply voltage to charge the gate of the high side FET to the pre-driven voltage. The pre-driven FET is turned on by a turn-on signal that occurs before the bootstrap capacitor releases charge. The pre-driven period (and hence, the pre-driven voltage) is determined from the time that the pre-driven FET begins to turn on, to the time that the bootstrap capacitor starts to release charge.

A semiconductor device drive circuit includes a first drive circuit and a second drive circuit. The first drive circuit generates a control signal for controlling a voltage-controlled switching element. The first drive circuit generates a control signal in synchronization with a voltage signal input to the first drive signal. The first drive circuit has an output current capability corresponding to a magnitude of the voltage signal. The second drive circuit outputs a voltage signal to the first drive circuit. The second drive circuit includes an output adjustment circuit that adjusts the magnitude of the voltage signal.

An electric power conversion circuit includes: first through fourth port terminals; a first diode having an anode connected to the first port terminal; a second diode having a cathode connected to the second port terminal; a third diode having a cathode connected to the first port terminal; a fourth diode having an anode connected to the second port terminal; first through fourth switches that are bridge-connected between a cathode of the first diode and an anode of the second diode; fifth through eighth switches that are bridge-connected between an anode of the third diode and a cathode of the fourth diode; a first bootstrap circuit that is connected to control terminals of the first through fourth switches; and a second bootstrap circuit that is connected to control terminals of the fifth through eighth switches.

An electric power conversion circuit includes: first through fourth port terminals; a first diode having an anode connected to the first port terminal; a second diode having a cathode connected to the second port terminal; a third diode having a cathode connected to the first port terminal; a fourth diode having an anode connected to the second port terminal; first through fourth switches that are bridge-connected between a cathode of the first diode and an anode of the second diode; fifth through eighth switches that are bridge-connected between an anode of the third diode and a cathode of the fourth diode; a first bootstrap circuit that is connected to control terminals of the first through fourth switches; and a second bootstrap circuit that is connected to control terminals of the fifth through eighth switches.

An example circuit includes a plurality of light emitters connected in parallel between a first node and a second node. The circuit also includes a plurality of capacitors, with each capacitor corresponding to one of the light emitters, and a plurality of discharge-control switches, with each discharge-control switches corresponding to one of the capacitors. The circuit further includes a pulse-control switch connected to the plurality of light emitters. During a first period, the pulse-control switch restricts current flow, and each of the plurality of capacitors is charged via the first node. During a second period, one or more of the plurality of discharge-control switches allows current flow that discharges one or more corresponding capacitors. During a third period, the pulse-control switch allows current flow that discharges one or more undischarged capacitors of the plurality of capacitors through one or more corresponding light emitters.