IXDF502 / IXDI502 / IXDN502
Supply Bypassing, Grounding Practices And
Output Lead inductance
WhendesigningacircuittodriveahighspeedMOSFETutilizing
theIXD_502,itisveryimportanttoobservecertaindesigncriteria
inordertooptimizeperformanceofthedriver. Particularattention
needs to be paid to Supply Bypassing, Grounding, and
minimizing the Output Lead Inductance.
Say,forexample,weareusingtheIXD_502tochargea1500pF
capacitive load from 0 to 25 volts in 25ns.
Using the formula: I = C ∆V/∆t, where ∆V=25V C=1500pF &
∆t=25ns, we can determine that to charge 1500pF to 25 volts in
25nswilltakeaconstantcurrentof1.5A.(Inreality,thecharging
currentwon’tbeconstant,andwillpeaksomewherearound2A).
SUPPLY BYPASSING
In order for our design to turn the load on properly, the IXD_502
must be able to draw this 1.5A of current from the power supply
inthe25ns. Thismeansthattheremustbeverylowimpedance
between the driver and the power supply. The most common
method of achieving this low impedance is to bypass the power
supply at the driver with a capacitance value that is an order of
magnitudelargerthantheloadcapacitance. Usually,thiswould
beachievedbyplacingtwodifferenttypesofbypassingcapacitors,
withcomplementaryimpedancecurves, veryclosetothedriver
itself.(Thesecapacitorsshouldbecarefullyselectedandshould
have low inductance, low resistance and high-pulse current-
serviceratings). Leadlengthsmayradiateathighfrequencydue
toinductance,socareshouldbetakentokeepthelengthsofthe
leads between these bypass capacitors and the IXD_502 to an
absoluteminimum.
GROUNDING
In order for the design to turn the load off properly, the IXD_502
must be able to drain this 1.5A of current into an adequate
groundingsystem. Therearethreepathsforreturningcurrentthat
need to be considered: Path #1 is between the IXD_502 and its
load. Path#2isbetweentheIXD_502anditspowersupply. Path
#3isbetweentheIXD_502andwhateverlogicisdrivingit. Allthree
of these paths should be as low in resistance and inductance as
possible, and thus as short as practical. In addition, every effort
should be made to keep these three ground paths distinctly
separate. Otherwise, the returning ground current from the load
maydevelopavoltagethatwouldhaveadetrimentaleffectonthe
logiclinedrivingtheIXD_502.
OUTPUT LEAD INDUCTANCE
Of equal importance to Supply Bypassing and Grounding are
issuesrelatedtotheOutputLeadInductance.Everyeffortshould
bemadetokeeptheleadsbetweenthedriveranditsloadasshort
andwideaspossible. Ifthedrivermustbeplacedfartherthan0.2”
(5mm) from the load, then the output leads should be treated as
transmission lines. In this case, a twisted-pair should be
considered, and the return line of each twisted pair should be
placed as close as possible to the ground pin of the driver, and
connected directly to the ground terminal of the load.
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