New Industry Products

100-V High-Side FET Driver for High-Power Li-ion Packs

January 31, 2016 by Jeff Shepard

Texas Instruments (TI) today introduced the first single-chip 100-V high-side FET driver for high-power lithium-ion battery applications, delivering advanced power protection and control. The bq76200 high-voltage solution efficiently drives high-side N-channel charge and discharge FETs in batteries commonly used in energy storage systems and motor-driven applications, including drones, power tools, e-bikes and more.

Compared to typical 50-V low-side FET driver solutions, the 100-V high-side FET driver provides greater protection against possible inductive transient events in motor-driven applications, which can cause battery voltages to jump as much as 200 percent above normal. The bq76200 also helps maintain constant battery monitoring and enhanced system diagnostics – even when charging and discharging is disabled.

Key features and benefits of the bq76200: Versatile supply voltage range: Compatible with a variety of battery architectures, capacities and voltage ranges from 8-V to 75-V, with an absolute maximum of 100-V. Advanced-protection FET control: The fast-switching feature minimizes fault response time and disables the discharge FET if a battery has been severely discharged. Quick development time and reduced overhead: The adaptable driver works with small to large power FET arrays by simply scaling the charge-pump capacitor, reducing engineering overhead and speeding development time. High integration and small package size: The bq76200 integrates a high-voltage charge pump and dual FET drivers into one 5-mm by 4.4-mm by 1-mm thin shrink small outline package (TSSOP).

The bq76200 can be used in conjunction with the bq76940 battery-monitoring family, allowing for the application to move to a high-side FET drive and ensure that communication is always possible. The bq76200 can also drive TI's CSD19531Q5A 100-V NexFETâ„¢ power MOSFET as showcased in the bq76200 evaluation module.

The bq76200 is available now in the TI store and through the company's authorized distribution network. The driver is packaged in a 16-pin TSSOP and is priced at US$1.69 in 1,000-unit quantities.