Abstract: Drive circuit and method for a gated semiconductor switching device A drive circuit and method for a gated semiconductor switching device (10) comprising providing coupling such as a mutual inductance between a gate drive circuit (21) for the device and a drain to source current supply circuit (22) for the device in order to change a gate voltage provided by the gate drive circuit dependent on a rate of change of a current in the drain to source current supply circuit. The change in gate voltage has a magnitude and phase arranged to increase or decrease a switching speed of the gated semiconductor switching device.

Abstract: An electric power converter has a semiconductor module and a capacitor. The positive side semiconductor module has a positive terminal and the 1st intermediate terminal while the negative side semiconductor module has a negative terminal and the 2nd intermediate terminal. These terminals are formed in projected forms. The positive terminal and the negative terminal are connected to the capacitor by a positive bus bar and a negative bus bar, respectively. The 1st intermediate terminal and the 2nd intermediate terminal are connected each other by an intermediate bus bar. The positive and the negative side semiconductor modules, the capacitor, the positive, the negative and the intermediate bus bars constitute one closed circuit. The direction of the each current that flows to each of the main part portion, the positive, the negative and the intermediate bus bars opposes the neighboring current when a closed current flows in the closed circuit.

Abstract: Semiconductor devices and methods are disclosed wherein a switching element or a current path is coupled to a substrate, and wherein a further element is coupled to said substrate and a control input of said switching element or said current path. Accordingly, in at least one embodiment, a semiconductor device comprises a substrate and a switching element with a control input coupled to the substrate. The semiconductor device includes a compensation element having a control input and an output. The control input of the compensation element is coupled to the substrate and the output of the compensation element is coupled to the control input of the switching element.

Abstract: A robust output buffer component capable of providing high quality output signals comprising a cascode module for receiving a differential signal from a differential pair module and transmitting that differential signal as two output waveforms. Using a bipolar implementation example, the emitter end of a common base cascode pair is coupled to the collector end of a common emitter differential pair with an optional resistive module inserted between the cascode pair and the differential pair. Engineering the cascode bias, the resistance at the collector nodes of the differential pair and/or the resistance at the base nodes of the differential pair effects: the degree of non-linearity of the base-collector capacitance as a function of the base-collector voltage, the voltage swing of the collector nodes, and the degree of symmetry of the input voltages. These three parameters may be used to optimize the symmetry of the output waveforms.

Abstract: A circuit for controlling a bidirectional switch referenced to a first reference voltage by a control circuit supplied by a first voltage and referenced to a second reference voltage.

Abstract: A light emitting element driver composed of two transistors, one ground resistor, one inductance and a single capacitor is arranged to drive an LED with a supplied voltage as low as about 0.92 V. The transistors include an NPN transistor and a PNP transistor, the base of the PNP transistor being connected to the ground resistor and the base of the NPN transistor being connected to the collector of the PNP transistor, with the capacitor being connected between the base of the PNP transistor and the node connecting the collector of the NPN transistor to the inductance and to the LED.

Abstract: A circuit arrangement having at least one electric main switch (T1) with a reference electrode (E), a control electrode (B), and a work electrode (C). A recovery diode (D1; D2) is connected antiparallel to the main flow direction of each main switch (T1). In order to speed up the switch-off process and in particular to reduce the attendant power loss, each main switch (T1) is assigned an electric auxiliary switch (T11; T22), whose work electrode is connected to the control electrode (B) of the associated main switch (T1) and whose reference electrode is connected to the reference electrode (E) of the associated main switch (T1). The capacitor (C11) is disposed between the control electrode of the auxiliary switch (T11; T22) and the work electrode (C) of the associated main switch (T1).

Abstract: A control circuit for providing fast turn on of a PNP transistor in which a capacitor charging current is boosted and provided to the base of the PNP transistor. An embodiment of the invention provides a current amplifier in parallel with a current source for coupling to the base of the PNP transistor. The PNP transistor is connected to a positive voltage supply. A capacitor is also coupled to the positive voltage supply for delivering a charging current amplifier. In a further embodiment, an NPN transistor has its base coupled to the capacitor and its collector coupled to the base of the PNP transistor for providing the drive current boost. A diode may be coupled to the capacitor for passing a discharge current to the capacitor when the PNP transistor is off and to block the capacitor current when the PNP transistor is being switched on. A PNP drive transistor may be coupled between the collector of the NPN transistor and the base of the PNP transistor.

Abstract: A write driver for a two-terminal inductive load comprises an H-bridge switching circuit and a push-pull driver circuit. The H-bridge switching circuit responds to a first mode to conduct a current in a first direction through the inductive load and responds to a second mode to conduct the current in a second direction through the inductive load. The push-pull driver circuit responds to the first mode to push a charge current into a first control node of the H-bridge and responds to the second mode to pull a discharge current from the first control node. In one form, the write driver includes a second push-pull driver circuit responsive to the first mode to pull a discharge current from a second control node and to the second mode to push a charge current into the second control node.