What is a power-MOSFET gate driver?
A power MOSFET gate driver is a power amplifier that accepts a low-power input from a controller IC and produces the appropriate high-current gate drive for a power MOSFET. A gate driver is used when a pulse-width-modulated (PWM) controller cannot provide the output current required to drive the gate capacitance of the associated MOSFET used in the power converter circuit. Gate drivers may be implemented as dedicated ICs, discrete transistors, or transformers. They can also be integrated within a controller IC. Partitioning the gate-drive function off the PWM controller allows the controller to run cooler and be more stable by eliminating the high peak currents and heat dissipation needed to drive a power MOSFET at very high frequencies.
