IP Library › Granted Patent US 12689282

Granted Patent B2

US 12689282 · App. 18/361,033 · Granted Jul 21, 2026

Voltage clamp circuit for a gate driver circuit

Inventors: Taisuke Kazama (Plano, TX); Mustapha El-Markhi (Richardson, TX); Avadhut Junnarkar (McKinney, TX); Indumini W Ranmuthu (Plano, TX)

Assignee: TEXAS INSTRUMENTS INCORPORATED

H02M1/0006 H02M3/1584

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 12689282
App. No.: 18/361,033
Granted: Jul 21, 2026
Kind: B2

External Links

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Abstract

Described embodiments include a gate drive circuit with a first transistor coupled between an input voltage terminal and a switching terminal, and having a first control terminal. A second transistor is coupled between the switching terminal and ground, and has a second control terminal. A first driver circuit has a first driver output coupled to the first control terminal, a first positive supply input coupled to a bootstrap voltage terminal, and a first negative supply input coupled to the switching terminal. A second driver circuit has a second driver output coupled to the second control terminal, a second positive supply input coupled to a driver supply, and a first negative supply input coupled to ground. An active clamp circuit is coupled between the driver supply and ground, and prevents a voltage between the driver supply and ground from exceeding a threshold voltage.

Claims (63)

1 . A circuit comprising:

a first transistor having first and second terminals and a control terminal, the first terminal coupled to an input voltage terminal, the second terminal coupled to a switching terminal;

a second transistor having a first terminal coupled to the switching terminal, a second terminal coupled to a ground terminal, and a control terminal;

a first driver circuit having an output coupled to the control terminal of the first transistor;

a second driver circuit having first and second supply terminals and an output, the output coupled to the control terminal of the second transistor, the second supply terminal coupled to the ground terminal; and

a clamp circuit including:

a third transistor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal of the second driver circuit, a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal, and a control terminal; and

a control circuit coupled to the control terminal of the third transistor, the control circuit including a fourth transistor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal of the second driver circuit and a second terminal coupled to the control terminal of the third transistor.

2 . The circuit of claim 1 , wherein the control circuit includes a filter circuit coupled to a control terminal of the fourth transistor.

3 . The circuit of claim 2 , wherein the filter circuit includes:

a resistor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal and a second terminal coupled to the control terminal of the fourth transistor; and

a capacitor having a first terminal coupled to the control terminal of the fourth transistor and a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal.

4 . The circuit of claim 3 , wherein the clamp circuit is a first clamp circuit, the resistor is a first resistor, and the capacitor is a first capacitor, and further comprising a second clamp circuit including:

a fifth transistor having a first terminal coupled to a first supply terminal of the first driver circuit, a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal of the first driver circuit and to the switching terminal, and a control terminal;

a sixth transistor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal of the first driver circuit, a second terminal coupled to the control terminal of the fifth transistor, and a control terminal;

a second resistor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal of the first driver circuit, and a second terminal coupled to the control terminal of the sixth transistor; and

a second capacitor having a first terminal coupled to the control terminal of the sixth transistor and a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal of the first driver circuit.

5 . The circuit of claim 3 , wherein the capacitor is a first capacitor, and further comprising a second capacitor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal and a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal.

6 . The circuit of claim 5 , wherein the resistor is a first resistor, and further comprising:

a second resistor having a first terminal coupled to the first terminals of the first resistor and the third and fourth transistors, and a second terminal coupled to the first supply terminal; and

a diode coupled in parallel with the second resistor.

7 . The circuit of claim 6 , further comprising third resistor having a first terminal coupled to the control terminal of the third transistor and a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal.

8 . The circuit of claim 3 , wherein the resistor is an adjustable resistor having a control terminal coupled to the second supply terminal.

9 . A circuit comprising:

a driver circuit having first and second supply terminals;

a first transistor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal, a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal, and a control terminal;

a second transistor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal, a second terminal coupled to the control terminal of the first transistor, and a control terminal;

a first resistor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal and a second terminal coupled to the control terminal of the second transistor;

a capacitor having a first terminal coupled to the control terminal of the second transistor and a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal;

a second resistor having a first terminal coupled to the control terminal of the first transistor and a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal.

10 . The circuit of claim 9 , wherein the capacitor is a first capacitor, and further comprising a second capacitor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal and a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal.

11 . The circuit of claim 10 , further comprising:

a third resistor having a first terminal coupled to the first terminals of the first resistor and the first and second transistors, and a second terminal coupled to the first supply terminal; and

a diode coupled in parallel with the third resistor.

12 . The circuit of claim 9 , wherein the second supply terminal is coupled to a ground terminal of an output stage for a power converter.

13 . The circuit of claim 9 , wherein the second supply terminal is coupled to a switching terminal of an output stage for a power converter.

14 . The circuit of claim 9 , wherein the first resistor is an adjustable resistor having a control terminal coupled to the second supply terminal.

15 . The circuit of claim 9 , wherein the first transistor is an n-channel field effect transistor (NFET), and the second transistor is a p-channel field effect transistor (PFET).

16 . A circuit comprising:

a first driver circuit having an output;

a second driver circuit having first and second supply terminals and an output;

a first transistor having a first terminal coupled to an input voltage terminal, a second terminal coupled to a switching terminal, and a control terminal coupled to the output of the first driver circuit;

a second transistor having a first terminal coupled to the switching terminal, a second terminal coupled to a ground terminal, and a control terminal coupled to the output of the second driver circuit; and

a clamp circuit including:

a third transistor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal of the second driver circuit, a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal, and a control terminal;

a current source coupled to the control terminal of the third transistor; and

a resistor and capacitor circuit capable of controlling the current source.

17 . The circuit of claim 16 , wherein the clamp circuit is a first clamp circuit and further comprising a second clamp circuit coupled between a first supply terminal of the first driver circuit and a second supply terminal of the first driver circuit, in which the second supply terminal of the first driver circuit is coupled to the switching terminal.

18 . The circuit of claim 17 , wherein the second clamp circuit includes:

a fourth transistor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal of the first driver circuit, a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal of the first driver circuit, and a control terminal;

a fifth transistor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal of the first driver circuit, a second terminal coupled to the control terminal of the fourth transistor, and a control terminal;

a first resistor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal of the first driver circuit and a second terminal coupled to the control terminal of the fifth transistor;

a capacitor having a first terminal coupled to the control terminal of the fifth transistor and a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal of the first driver circuit; and

a second resistor having a first terminal coupled to the control terminal of the fourth transistor and a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal of the first driver circuit.

19 . The circuit of claim 16 , wherein the current source includes a fourth transistor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal and a second terminal coupled to the control terminal of the third transistor.

20 . The circuit of claim 19 , wherein the resistor and capacitor circuit includes:

a resistor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal and a second terminal coupled to a control terminal of the fourth transistor; and

a capacitor having a first terminal coupled to the control terminal of the fourth transistor and a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal.

21 . The circuit of claim 20 , wherein the capacitor is a first capacitor, and further comprising a second capacitor having a first terminal coupled to the first supply terminal and a second terminal coupled to the second supply terminal.

22 . The circuit of claim 21 , wherein the resistor is a first resistor, and further comprising:

a second resistor having a first terminal coupled to the first terminals of the first resistor and the first and second transistors, and a second terminal coupled to the first supply terminal; and

a diode coupled in parallel to the second resistor.

23 . The circuit of claim 20 , wherein the circuit is one of multiple output stages of a multiphase DC-DC power converter.