STMicroelectronics Announces New Gate Drivers to Enhance Performance and Efficiency for Consumer and Industrial Equipment

STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM) has introduced the STDRIVE102P and STDRIVE102BP, the latest additions to its STDRIVE102 series of gate driver ICs for 3-phase brushless motors. The products feature an SPI interface that simplifies gate current and other settings.

The STDRIVE102 series is designed to operate within a power supply range of 6V to 50V, delivering high energy efficiency for battery-powered equipment such as power tools and home appliances. The series can drive six external N-channel power MOSFETs, with programmable source current up to 1A and sink current up to 2A, achieving slew-rate control without external resistors. With an extremely low typical standby current of just 50nA, it helps maximize battery life in portable, battery-powered equipment.

The STDRIVE102 series integrates advanced charge-pump circuitry, enabling continuous operation of the high-side driver circuit and simplifying the design of applications requiring 100% duty cycle PWM. The integration of 12V and 3.3V linear regulators (LDO) allows for powering both internal low-side drivers/analog front-ends and external components, contributing to further reductions in bill-of-materials (BOM) costs. The STDRIVE102BP integrates a configurable analog front-end with three programmable gain amplifiers (PGA) and three comparators for measuring motor shunt current. These PGAs and comparators can be enabled/disabled individually, and the entire analog front-end can be disabled to save power. The STDRIVE102P features a simpler analog front-end with one PGA and one comparator.

All products in the STDRIVE102 series include comprehensive protection features, such as Under-Voltage Lockout (UVLO) and thermal shutdown, to ensure safe operation. Overcurrent protection is implemented through a dual redundant configuration that monitors the drain-source voltage (VDS) for both high-side and low-side drivers. The STDRIVE102BP also includes a dedicated fault-indicator pin for the main supply voltage.

Performance evaluation of these drivers in a 3-phase inverter constructed with ST's STL220N6F7 power MOSFETs can be easily performed using the currently available EVLDRIVE102P and EVLDRIVE102BP evaluation boards. Both boards are compatible with various Nucleo control boards and support project development for various STM32 microcontrollers using the STM32 development ecosystem, including the X-CUBE-MCSDK motor control software package.

The STDRIVE102P is offered in a 40-pin VFQFPN package (5 x 5mm) at a unit price of approximately $1.23 for 1,000-unit purchases. The STDRIVE102BP is offered in a 48-pin VFQFPN package (6 x 6mm) at a unit price of approximately $1.29 for 1,000-unit purchases. Both products are currently in mass production.