ADuM4136 Data Sheet
Rev. 0 | Page 12 of 16
For the following design example, see the schematic shown in
Figure 29 along with the timing diagrams in Figure 23. Under
normal operation, during IGBT off times, the voltage across the
IGBT (VCE) rises to the rail voltage supplied to the system. In this
case, the blocking diode shuts off, protecting the ADuM4136 from
high voltages. During the off times, the internal desaturation
switch is on, accepting the current going through the RBLANK
resistor, which allows the CBLANK capacitor to remain at a low
voltage. For the first 312 ns (typical) of the IGBT on time, the
internal desaturation switch remains on, clamping the DESAT
pin voltage low.
After the 312 ns (typical) delay time, the DESAT pin is released,
and the DESAT pin is allowed to rise towards VDD2 either by the
internal current source on the DESAT pin, or additionally with an
optional external pull-up resistor, RBLANK, to increase the current
drive if it is not clamped by the collector or drain of the switch
being driven. RDESAT is chosen to dampen the current at this time,
typically selected around 100 to 2 kΩ. Select the blocking
diode to block above the high rail voltage on the collector of the
IGBT and to be a fast recovery diode.
In the case of a desaturation event, VCE rises above the 9.2 V
threshold in the desaturation detection circuit. If no RBLANK resistor
is used to increase the blanking current, the voltage on the blanking
capacitor, CBLANK, rises at a rate of 537 µA (typical) divided by the
CBLANK capacitance. Depending on the IGBT specifications, a
blanking time of approximately 2 µs is a typical design choice.
When the DESAT pin rises above the 9.2 V threshold, a fault
registers, and within 200 ns, the gate output drives low. The
output is brought low using the N-FET fault MOSFET, which
is approximately 35 times more resistive than the internal gate
driver N-FET, to perform a soft shutdown to reduce the chance
of an overvoltage spike on the IGBT during an abrupt turn-off
event. Within 2 µs, the fault is communicated back to the primary
side FAULT pin. To clear the fault, a reset is required.
Thermal Shutdown
If the internal temperature of the ADuM4136 exceeds 155°C
(typical), the device enters thermal shutdown (TSD). During
the thermal shutdown time, the READY pin is brought low
on the primary side, and the gate drive is disabled. When
TSD occurs, the device does not leave TSD until the internal
temperature drops below 135°C (typical), at which time the
READY pin returns to high, and the device exits shutdown.
Undervoltage Lockout (UVLO) Faults
UVLO faults occur when the supply voltages are below the
specified UVLO threshold values. During a UVLO event on either
the primary side or secondary side, the READY pin goes low, and
the gate drive is disabled. When the UVLO condition is removed,
the device resumes operation, and the READY pin goes high.
READY Pin
The open-drain READY pin is an output that confirms communi-
cation between the primary to secondary sides is active. The
READY pin remains high when there are no UVLO or TSD events
present. When the READY pin is low, the IGBT gate is driven low.
Table 11. READY Pin Logic Table
UVLO TSD READY Pin Output
No No High
Yes No Low
No Yes Low
Yes Yes Low
FAULT Pin
The open-drain FAULT pin is an output to communicate that a
desaturation fault has occurred. When the FAULT pin is low, the
IGBT gate is driven low. If a desaturation event occurs, the
RESET pin must be driven low for at least 500 ns, then high to
return operation to the IGBT gate drive.
RESET Pin
The RESET pin has an internal 300 kΩ (typical) pull-down
resistor. The RESET pin accepts CMOS level logic. When the
RESET pin is held low, after a 500 ns debounce time, any faults
on the FAULT pin are cleared. While the RESET pin is held low,
the switch on VOUT is closed, bringing the gate voltage of the
IGBT low. When RESET is brought high, and no fault exists, the
device resumes operation.
RESET
FAULT
<500ns 500ns
13575-024
Figure 24. RESET Timing
VI+ and VI− Operation
The ADuM4136 has two drive inputs, VI+ and VI−, to control
the IGBT gate drive signal, VOUT. Both the VI+ and VI− inputs use
CMOS logic level inputs. The input logic of the VI+ and VI− pins
can be controlled by either asserting VI+ high or VI− low. With
the VI− pin low, the VI+ pin accepts positive logic. If VI+ is held
high, the VI− pin accepts negative logic. If a fault is asserted,
transmission is blocked until the fault is cleared by the RESET pin.
V
I
+
FAULT
V
I
–V
OUT
13575-025
Figure 25. VI+ and VI− Block Diagram
The minimum pulse width is the minimum period in which the
timing specifications are guaranteed.