Abstract: In some implementations, a method of dynamically maintaining a device's operation within a safe operating area (SOA) may include sensing instantaneous voltage and current of the device; determining, based on the sensed instantaneous voltage and current, a value that represents a power dissipated in the device; using the determined dissipated power and a model of thermal behavior of the device to model a junction temperature of the device; and controlling operation of the device based on the modeled junction temperature. A programmable SOA circuit including sensing, scaling, filtering, and controlling functions may be packaged on a single die or in a package with a power transistor.

Abstract: An output driver for providing a gate voltage to an external positive-channel field-effect transistor (PFET) device. A capacitor accumulates charge which, upon switching by an input switching signal, is applied, in addition to the supply voltage, to the base of a drive circuit NPN transistor to rapidly pull the PFET gate voltage, derived at the emitter of the drive circuit NPN transistor, up to the supply voltage. An active voltage limiter, coupled in parallel with the drive circuit, limits excursion of the gate voltage with respect to the supply voltage.