Features are functions; parameters are measurable values

A feature describes what a driver can do, such as detect DESAT, clamp a gate, insert deadtime, or report a fault. A parameter describes a measurable specification such as output current, propagation delay, DESAT threshold, clamp current, CMTI, or isolation working voltage.

Detailed protection and switching-control features

Undervoltage lockout (UVLO) 

Monitors a supply and holds the output in a defined state until sufficient voltage is available. Evaluate rising and falling thresholds, hysteresis, channel independence, startup time, and output behavior.

Overcurrent protection (OCP) / ITRIP 

Uses a current-sense signal, comparator, amplifier, or VDS-based method to detect excessive current and initiate shutdown or fault reporting.

Soft shutdown / soft-off 

Reduces fault turn-off gate current to limit voltage overshoot. The current and duration must balance overshoot against fault energy.

Slew-rate control (SRC) 

Changes effective gate drive during normal switching through programmable current, switchable resistors, split outputs, or multiple drive levels to balance loss, EMI, ringing, and overshoot.

Deadtime control (DTC) and programmable deadtime 

Inserts a fixed or configurable interval between complementary outputs. Use worst-case driver and switch timing to set it.

Active shutdown 

Helps force the gate off when the output-side supply is absent or below normal operation.

DESAT protection 

Monitors VCE or VDS after turn-on to identify a short circuit or severe overcurrent. Blanking and filtering prevent normal switching transients from creating false trips.

Active Miller clamp 

Provides a low-impedance path near the gate while the device is off to reduce parasitic turn-on caused by Miller current.

Two-level turn-off (TLTO / 2LTO) 

Moves the gate to an intermediate level before completing fault turn-off, helping control voltage stress and current reduction.

Shoot-through protection (STP) / interlock 

Blocks simultaneous high-side and low-side activation. It complements, but does not replace, system-level deadtime design.
 

Short-circuit clamping 

Inserts a fixed or configurable interval between complementary outputs. Use worst-case driver and switch timing to set it.

 

Output clamping 

Clamps the output below a defined supply condition or threshold to hold the switch in a safe state.

Next step: Isolated Gate Drivers

Compare families offering DESAT, Miller clamp, soft-off, TLTO, configurability, and monitoring.

Supply, bootstrap, and startup features 

Integrated bootstrap diode (BSD) 

Charges the floating high-side supply and can reduce BOM, loop area, and assembly complexity.

Charge pump / trickle charge pump 

Supports high-side bias during high duty cycle or extended static on-time, depending on architecture.

Oscillator 

Provides an internal timing source in selected support or transformer-driver ICs.

Bootstrap switch / active bootstrap 

Controls charging and can help prevent bootstrap-capacitor overcharge in selected operating conditions.

High-voltage startup 

Supports startup from a high-voltage rail while helping reduce standby loss in selected power-supply architectures.

Transformer-driver full bridge 

Drives a transformer to create isolated gate-driver bias power; selected products add adjustable duty cycle, frequency, synchronization, OCP, overtemperature protection, and status feedback.

Next step: Explore transformer-driver ICs

Review EiceDRIVER™ Power devices for isolated gate-driver bias supplies.

Control, logic, and interface features 

Enable and shutdown 

Dedicated control inputs place one or more outputs in a defined off state.

Fault reporting 

Signals OCP, DESAT, UVLO, thermal, or other detected conditions to the controller.

Input filter / short-pulse rejection 

Rejects narrow input pulses but adds timing delay and affects minimum pulse width.

Differential input / TDI 

Uses the difference between two input pins, improving tolerance to ground shift within specifications.

Inverting / non-inverting input options 

Allows logic polarity to match the controller and fail-safe strategy.

Programmable shutdown / adjustable shutdown 

Allows shutdown behavior or timing to be configured with a resistor, capacitor, pin state, or register.

Fault reset and programmable fault-clear time 

Defines when a latched fault is cleared and whether recovery is automatic, timed, or controller-driven.

Schmitt-trigger input 

Adds input hysteresis to improve logic noise immunity.

Tri-state or configurable PWM input 

Supports alternative PWM encoding or multiple operating modes in selected multilevel-converter drivers.

Industry-standard or pin-compatible pinout 

Can simplify upgrades or second-source evaluation, subject to full electrical compatibility review.

Output and integration features 

Separate source and sink outputs 

Allows independent turn-on and turn-off resistors, external boosters, and transition tuning.

Current-sense amplifier 

Amplifies shunt or inductor-DCR signals for control and overcurrent monitoring.

Operational amplifier (OPAMP) 

Supports current measurement or overcurrent detection in integrated motor-control drivers.

Power-management unit, buck converter, or LDO 

Reduces external supply components in highly integrated motor-driver solutions.
 

Configurable analog functions 

External components can adjust DESAT filtering, blanking, soft-off, or other behaviors in selected families.

Split ground / separate logic ground 

Separates gate-current return from logic or sensing return to improve noise behavior in appropriate layouts.

Comparator 

Provides a general-purpose or protection threshold function.

Brake-chopper driver 

Integrates control of a braking switch and associated protection in selected motor-drive products.

Programmable gate current / gate voltage 

Allows switching behavior to be tuned across switches, operating points, or applications.

Digital configuration and status 

An interface such as I²C or SPI can configure features, report status, and support diagnostics; startup defaults and communication faults must be handled at system level.

Monitoring, thermal, and diagnostic features 

Thermal shutdown

Common selection priorities include adequate gate current, UVLO matched to the bias scheme, isolation where needed, DESAT protection, active Miller clamp, and controlled short-circuit turn-off.

Supply-voltage monitoring

Fast edges and demanding fault behavior make CMTI, isolation, suitable UVLO, bipolar-bias support, DESAT timing, Miller clamp, and controlled turn-off particularly important.

Ready-to-operate signaling 

Indicates that required supplies and internal states are valid.
 

External NTC or ADC measurement

Allows selected drivers to digitize external or internal analog quantities.

Temperature monitoring

Match the supply range, gate voltage, gate charge, switching frequency, topology, and logic interface. Both low-voltage and high-voltage implementations are common.

Overload monitoring

Low gate charge and fast switching require tight gate-voltage control, low inductance, short delay, small packages, robust sink behavior, and careful management of ground bounce and reverse current.

CRC or register-status checks 

Helps detect communication or configuration errors in digitally configurable products.

Predictive-maintenance enablement

Monitoring and configuration data can support a system-level maintenance strategy; the driver provides data, while the system implements the analytics and decision logic.

Feature selection by design objective 

Next step: Filter by required features

Use the parametric table to shortlist products, then confirm every function in the current datasheet.

Explore the Gate Driver ICs catalogue

Recommended documents

Frequently asked questions about gate driver's features

What is DESAT protection?

It monitors collector-emitter voltage (VCE) or drain-source voltage (VDS) after turn-on to detect a short-circuit or severe overcurrent condition and trigger fault handling. 

It provides a low-impedance path for the off-state gate, reducing parasitic turn-on caused by Miller current during fast dV/dt events. 

Soft-off limits turn-off current. Two-level turn-off uses an intermediate gate-voltage stage before final turn-off. Both aim to control fault stress, but they operate differently. 

Undervoltage lockout (UVLO) is a feature or function. Its rising and falling thresholds, hysteresis, timing, and output behavior are parameters. 

An integrated bootstrap diode can reduce external component count, loop area, PCB space, and assembly complexity. It can also shorten the high-current charging loop for the floating high-side supply.

There is no universal list. Requirements depend on the power switch, topology, voltage, isolation concept, fault strategy, application, operating environment, and safety objectives. UVLO is widely applicable, while other features are system-dependent. 

It is interlock logic that blocks simultaneous conduction commands for complementary high-side and low-side switches. 

It helps keep the power switch off when the driver output supply is absent or insufficient, reducing the chance of an uncontrolled gate. 

They allow independent turn-on and turn-off gate networks, making it easier to tune switching loss, electromagnetic interference (EMI), overshoot, and turn-off robustness. 

It is a configurable interval between complementary output transitions. It must be set using total system timing, not only the nominal gate-driver delay.