A comprehensive review of eight mainstream motor driver chips

Since the British physicist and chemist Faraday invented the first real motor in 1831, it has been nearly 200 years since then. The focus of the motor industry has also shifted from DC brushed motors and AC asynchronous motors to permanent magnet synchronous motors and DC brushless motors. With many advantages such as high efficiency, high power factor, high reliability, low temperature rise, and small size, permanent magnet synchronous motors have been widely used in many fields, including aerospace, petroleum metallurgy, industry and agriculture, and medical equipment. DC brushless motors have outstanding advantages such as high efficiency, long life, simple structure, reliable operation, and easy maintenance. They have been widely used in household appliances, office equipment, industrial equipment, and medical equipment, and have great market potential waiting for everyone to explore in depth.

Technological advances are driving the market forward at a rapid pace. According to statistics from market research firm Grand View Research, the global motor market sales volume reached US$150.5 billion in 2020. From 2020 to 2027, the global motor market sales volume is expected to continue to climb at an annual compound growth rate of 6.4%, reaching US$232.5 billion by 2027.

Figure 1: Global motor market sales scale

(Data source: Grand View Research)

For motor applications, in addition to selecting the right motor type, the drive control circuit is also very important. It is generally composed of a main processor, an incremental encoder, and a driver chip. It is the key to improving the energy efficiency of the motor. The advancement of technology and products is directly linked to the level of energy conservation and emission reduction. Therefore, if you can find a suitable motor driver chip, you can help design motor solutions in terms of development efficiency, system energy efficiency, integration, and reliability.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the big gift package that Mouser Electronics has carefully prepared for motor developers - an inventory of eight mainstream motor driver chips. These innovative motor drive solutions from well-known manufacturers are not only rich in types but also have their own advantages. They are the best choice for designing motor-related applications.

The TB9058FNG is an AEC-Q100 compliant automotive DC servo motor driver that is able to measure the current motor position, control the motor rotation, and ensure rotation to the target position.

Figure 2: TB9058FNG

(Image source: Toshiba)

Figure 3 is an internal block diagram of the driver, which is based on the Local Interconnect Network (LIN) 1.3 protocol specification and is capable of data communication with the LIN bus at communication rates of 19200bps/9600bps/4800bps/2400bps. Up to 16 devices can be connected as slave devices on a single bus.

The operating supply voltage range of TB9058FNG is 7V to 18V, and the standby current consumption is ≤10µA. When the device wakes up, it is expected to wait at least 10ms before starting to receive data, taking into account the time required for oscillation stabilization.

The driver has excellent protection features, including enhanced calibration function, ±1.5A driver short-circuit protection, and over-temperature and over-voltage protection circuits.

The MC33HB2000AES is a SMARTMOS monolithic half-bridge IC, an H-bridge motor driver designed using the ISO 26262 process and qualified to AEC-Q100 Grade 1, capable of meeting the needs of demanding automotive applications including electronic throttle control, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) control, turbine, swirl and spin and waste flap control, electric pumps, motor control and accessories.

Figure 4: MC33HB2000AES

(Image source: NXP)

The MC33HB2000AES operates over a 5V to 28V voltage range and is capable of controlling inductive loads with peak currents greater than 10A, with a nominal continuous average load current of 3A, and provides high-precision real-time current feedback via a current mirror output signal with an error of less than 5%.

Figure 5 is a functional block diagram of this power IC. This driver provides a method for efficiently driving the forward and reverse shaft rotation of a DC motor through a monolithic H-bridge consisting of low R _DS(on) N-channel MOSFETs and integrated control circuitry. The switching action of the H-bridge can be pulse-width modulated for torque and speed control, with eight steps from 0.25V/μs to 16V/μs, giving the user flexibility to meet EMI requirements and minimize switching losses. The output consists of four power MOSFETs configured as a standard H-bridge, controlled by the IN1 and IN2 inputs.

Figure 5: MC33HB2000AES functional block diagram

(Image source: NXP)

MC33HB2000AES provides multiple safety and protection features, including charge pump undervoltage, overvoltage and VPWR undervoltage, ground short circuit and VPWR short circuit (each output), open load, temperature warning and overtemperature shutdown. At the same time, the power IC has good scalability, SPI programmable current limit and slew rate allow the same motor driver to be used for various motor sizes.

The MAX22203 is a 65V, 3.8A dual-channel brushed or single-channel stepper motor driver that can be used to drive two brushed DC motors or a single stepper motor. The device has two H-bridges with a maximum operating voltage of 65V. Each H-bridge can be controlled individually and has a very low typical R _ON (high side + low side) of 0.3Ω , resulting in high drive efficiency and reduced heat generation.

Figure 6: MAX22203

(Image source: Maxim)

A highlight of the device is that the bridge output current is sensed by non-dissipative current sensing circuits (ICs) with a configurable threshold current (I _TRIP ), eliminating the need for external power resistors that are usually required. The I _TRIP threshold can be set independently for both full-bridges by connecting external resistors to the REFA _and REFB _pins .

Another highlight of the MAX22203 is the numerous protection features, including overcurrent protection (OCP), thermal shutdown (TSD), and undervoltage lockout (UVLO). Whenever a fault condition is detected, the open-drain, active-low nFAULT pin is activated. During thermal shutdown and undervoltage lockout, the driver is tri-stated until normal operation is restored.

In addition, the MAX22203 integrates current drive regulation (CDR), and the current sensing external controller can use the CDR pin for various reasons, as shown below Figure 7 shows the specific behavior of the CDR function when the motor is rotating forward and DIN2 is kept high (case A) or when DIN2 is toggled (cases B and C). For example, the pin duty cycle can be used to detect a standstill condition.

Figure 7: MAX22203 CDR behavior

(Image source: ADI)

The MAX22203 can be used in brushed DC motor drivers, stepper motor drivers, solenoid drivers, and latching valves.

The IM818LCCXKMA1 is a fully isolated dual in-line CIPOS Maxi 1200V, 15A three-phase intelligent power module in a DIP 36x23D package that provides a full-featured compact inverter solution for motor drive applications. It can be used to control three-phase AC motors and permanent magnet motors in variable speed drive applications, including industrial drives, fans and pumps, HVAC outdoor fans, active filters, etc.

Figure 8: IM818LCCXKMA1

(Image source: Infineon)

IM818LCCXKMA1基于1200V TRENCHSTOP IGBT技术打造，显著提高了器件的静态和动态性能。同时，这种IGBT技术与器件内部的软恢复发射极控制二极管一起降低了导通损耗，给系统效率带来明显提升。

The CIPOS Maxi IPM design makes the IM818LCCXKMA1 a high-performance and cost-effective choice, integrating various power and control components to improve reliability, optimize PCB size and system cost. When engineers pay special attention to power density in their design, the IM818LCCXKMA1 is undoubtedly an ideal choice. The CIPOS Maxi IPM design achieves an ultra-small package at the 1200V IPM level, which can improve power density in modules and systems without compromising on size and performance.

IM818LCCXKMA1 provides excellent protection capabilities, including overcurrent shutdown, phase current monitoring, temperature monitoring and undervoltage lockout functions, etc., combined with the excellent thermal performance of the DCB substrate, it is particularly suitable for power applications that require good heat dissipation and electrical isolation, strong EMI control capabilities and overload protection. Here we focus on the overcurrent shutdown and undervoltage lockout functions.

IM818LCCXKMA1 has SCSOA (Short Circuit Safe Operating Area) performance, as shown in Figure 9. If the short circuit time is less than 16.0μs, the IGBT has the ability to shut down safely. In this case, the IGBT can shut down a peak SC current of about 46.8A (non-repetitive) at a control supply voltage of 17.5V.

Figure 9: SCSOA performance of IM818LCCXKMA1

(Image source: Infineon)

The IM818LCCXKMA1 provides a rugged 1200V SOI gate driver technology through a buried silicon oxide layer and prevents leakage or latching currents between adjacent devices, preventing latch-up and improving robustness. This protection technology for 6 switches can shut down all 6 switches in fault conditions such as undervoltage lockout or overvoltage.

In addition, as shown in Figure 10 , the IM818LCCXKMA1 integrates IGBT, diode, gate driver IC, and thermistor, and is suitable for space-constrained industrial applications through its ultra-compact footprint.

Figure 10: PCB features of the IM818LCCXKMA1

(Image source: Infineon)

The NCD57084 is a high current single channel IGBT gate driver with 2.5kVrms internal galvanic isolation, designed for high system efficiency and reliability in high power applications. The driver includes current sensing with soft shutdown and fault reporting capabilities in a narrow body SOIC8 package.

Figure 11: NCD57084

(Image source: ON Semiconductor)

NCD57084 has low output impedance for enhanced IGBT driving, provides a wide input bias voltage range and signal level from 3.3V to 20.0V, and a wide output bias voltage range of up to 30.0V, supporting +7A/-7A high peak output current. As can be seen from Figure 12 , the device has a short propagation delay time and can achieve precise matching. The UVLO threshold is small, which can achieve bias flexibility.

Figure 12: NCD57084 propagation delay, rise and fall times

(Image source: ON Semiconductor)

NCD57084 is designed to achieve high system efficiency and reliability in high-power applications. It has multiple protection mechanisms, including IGBT gate clamping during short circuit, soft shutdown when IGBT is overcurrent, 2.5kVrms current isolation, high transient immunity, high electromagnetic immunity, etc. It can be used in motor control, uninterruptible power supply (UPS), industrial power supply, HVAC, industrial pumps and fans and other fields.

The PIC32CM1216MC00048-I/U5B is a motor control microcontroller (MCU) based on the Arm Cortex-M0+ core, running at up to 48MHz, with a single-cycle hardware multiplier and MPU, 128KB Flash, 16KB SRAM main memory and 4KB Flash (for data flash).

Figure 13: PIC32CM1216MC00048-I/U5B

(Image source: Microchip)

Figure 14 is an overview of the power domain of the MCU, which provides functions such as a 48MHz to 96MHz fractional digital phase-locked loop (FDPLL), power-on reset (POR), and power-off detection (BOD). In addition, it also carries advanced modules including a 16-bit Σ-Δ analog-to-digital converter (SDADC), two 12-bit 1Msps analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), a 10-bit 350ksps digital-to-analog converter (DAC), and two analog comparators (ACs).

Figure 14: PIC32CM1216MC00048-I/U5B power domain overview

(Image source: Microchip)

For motor control, the MCU provides two 24-bit timer/counters and one 16-bit timer/counter (TCC), with extended functions including:

The DRV8300NIPWR is a 100V three-phase half-bridge gate driver. Each half-bridge gate driver can drive both high-side and low-side N-channel power MOSFETs, using an integrated bootstrap diode and an external capacitor to generate the correct gate drive voltage for the high-side MOSFET. Applications include electric bicycles, electric scooters and electric transportation, fans, pumps and servo drives, brushless DC (BLDC) motor modules and PMSM, cordless vacuum cleaners, as well as drones, robots and RC toys.

Figure 15: DRV8300NIPWR

(Source: TI)

In the simplified schematic of DRV8300NIPWR shown in Figure 16 , GVDD is used to generate the gate drive voltage for the low-side MOSFET. The gate drive architecture supports a peak source current of up to 750mA and a sink current of 1.5A. It supports inverting and non-inverting INLx inputs. The phase pin SHx can withstand negative transient voltages up to -22V. BSTx and GHx can support higher positive voltage transients (115V) absolute maximum voltage, thereby improving the robustness of the system. Undervoltage protection is provided for the low and high sides through GVDD and BST undervoltage lockouts. The dead time is adjustable through the DT pin for QFN package models.

Figure 16: DRV8300NIPWR simplified schematic

(Source: TI)

In addition, the DRV8300NIPWR's minimal propagation delay and delay matching performance can significantly reduce dead time requirements, further improving efficiency.

STSPIN32G4 is a motor controller with STM32G4 MCU for driving three-phase brushless motors. The device has highly integrated and flexible product features, embedded three half-bridge gate drivers with a current capability of 1A (source and sink current); embedded three bootstrap diodes; embedded programmable buck regulator with embedded power MOSFET, which can generate power supply voltage for gate driver starting from motor supply voltage VM; built-in integrated MCU (STM32G431VBx3), operating frequency up to 170MHz; MCU also integrates high-speed memory (128kB flash and 32kB SRAM), as well as multiple protection mechanisms and up to 40 pins of available GPIO.

Figure 17: STSPIN32G4

(Source: ST)

As a result, the device significantly reduces the PCB area and the overall bill of materials. Thanks to the embedded flexible power management function, the device is self-powered and can generate all the required power from the motor supply voltage VM, which is the only power supply provided externally.

自带STM32G4 MCU是该电机控制器一大亮点，显著降低了电机应用的开发难度，并赋予方案智能化能力。这款MCU具有丰富、特定的功能，因此是高级电机控制应用的主流选择。同时，该处理器具有单精度浮点单元（FPU）、全套DSP（数字信号处理）指令和内存保护单元（MPU），支持运行性能非常卓越的电机控制算法，即使在极具挑战性的运动控制应用中，也能在合适控制选择方面提供出色的灵活性。

In terms of protection features, the STSPIN32G4 benefits from an integrated interlock function that prevents the high-side and low-side switches of the same half-bridge from being driven simultaneously. Another protection feature is a hardware VDS monitoring circuit that continuously monitors each of the six external MOSFETs. When an overvoltage is detected on one of them, it shuts down all gate driver outputs. The overvoltage threshold is set via a dedicated SCREF pin.

The excellent performance allows STSPIN32G4 to be widely used in a variety of scenarios such as industrial and home automation, servo drives and electric bicycles, service and automation robots, pumps and fans, as well as drones and aircraft models.

If engineers are interested in this device, they can also learn more about it through the EVSPIN32G4 demonstration board provided by ST. The manufacturer number on Mouser Electronics is EVSPIN32G4.

Figure 18: EVSPIN32G4 demo board

(Source: ST)

The demo board includes the STSPIN32G4 system and the STL110N10F7 power MOSFET. Thanks to the integrated voltage regulator, both the gate driver and control logic power can be generated from the motor power supply without the need for dedicated circuits, making it easy to fully understand the STSPIN32G4 MCU.

Rich interface resources are a major advantage of the EVSPIN32G4 demo board, with up to 40 GPIOs. At the same time, in order to better adapt the algorithm, the board can be configured as a three-shunt or single-shunt structure, supporting sensorless and sensor-based control algorithms.

The above eight motor driver chips each have their own strengths. Whether it is the consumer electronics field with rapid product iteration, the industrial field with extremely complex usage conditions, or the automotive field with more stringent requirements on product quality, they can all find suitable solutions to help quickly create market-competitive motor drive solutions.