Toshiba Electronics Europe has introduced a series of low-input current drive, rail-to-rail output, gate-drive photocouplers. With a threshold input current of 2mA (max), half the 4mA (max) of Toshiba’s existing products^[1], the new photocouplers allow bufferless direct drive of low- to medium-power IGBTs and MOSFETs from microcontrollers.

The TLP5771, TLP5772 and TLP5774 have respective peak output currents of 1.0A, 2.5A and 4.0A, allowing the series to meet a wide range of user requirements. In addition, because minimum operating voltage is 10V compared to the 15V of previous devices^[1], the new couplers contribute to higher system efficiency and lower power consumption.

All of the new devices are housed in a low-profile 2.3mm SO6L package that supports the development of thinner and smaller systems. Minimum isolation voltage rating is 5000Vrms and operating temperature is from -40˚C to 110˚C.

Potential applications for the new photocouplers include servo amplifiers, small motor drivers, general-purpose inverters, photovoltaic (PV) inverters and industrial sewing machines. The TLP5771 is suitable for small-scale IGBTs up to 20A, while the TLP5772 is applicable for mid-scale IGBTs up to 80A. The TLP5774 can be used with mid-scale IGBTs up to 100A.

Notes:

[1] Toshiba’s existing products: TLP5751, TLP5752 and TLP5754