FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates to a gate driver circuit.

BACKGROUND

A switched-mode circuit, such as a switched-mode power supply, power converter, or motor controller, controls a current by turning one or more power switches (for example, one or more power transistors) on and off. Often, the current being controlled by the switched-mode circuit is a current through an inductive load.

The switched-mode circuit may turn the power switch off while a large amount of current is flowing through the power switch. Turning the power switch off quickly under such conditions is efficient but can create a large change in current per unit time (δi/δt) which can interact with components of a circuit to generate large and potentially damaging voltage spikes having high rates of voltage change per unit time (δV/δt). When the current through the power switch is especially high because of an overcurrent or short circuit condition, the risk of a damaging voltage spike may increase.

It would be advantageous to control the turning off of the power switch so as to limit the risks of voltage spikes generated thereby without reducing system efficiency.

