For operation in applications such as photovoltaic (PV) energy systems that include battery energy storage systems (BESS) and connections to the electric grid, bidirectional DC-DC converters are required for transfer of energy between the three different components. For instance, the DC-DC converter that connects the BESS to the bus voltage of the system can operate in buck or boost mode to satisfy the bus voltage requirements. The DC-DC converter also satisfies the transfer of energy out of the BESS or the transfer of energy into the BESS. These systems are often high power and require multiple phases, which are described as requiring special consideration for the gate driver portion of the converter. For more information on using gate drivers in bidirectional converters, refer to the Challenges and Solutions for Half-Bridge Gate Drivers in Bidirectional DC-DC Converters application note. Due to these challenges, a robust, high current gate driver is needed when designing for bidirectional systems. A driver such as the UCC273x1A(-Q1) can be a good candidate for bidirectional systems.

Other systems, such as the 48V to 12V DC/DC converter used in HEV and EV systems for charging the 12V battery utilize a unidirectional converter. A unidirectional converter can be utilized as energy and is only transferred from the 48V battery through a buck converter to the 12V battery. When only a single phase is utilized, the startup conditions seen for the driver are only on initial startup. This means that the control circuit is programmed for optimizing the bootstrap capacitor charging prior to switching the converter with sending LO pulses. In this case, a lower current driver can be considered such as the UCC2728x(-Q1).

When looking for a 120V half-bridge gate driver, the recently released UCC273x1A(-Q1) is poised to compete aggressively with the leading competitors. As seen in Table 1-1, the UCC273x1A(-Q1) offers many advantages. These advantages include an industry leading operating temperature rating of 150 °C, offering automotive qualification, and provides cross conduction protection with input interlock.