Solutions for LED drivers
The right topology and features for every LED lighting design
LED applications are often powered by an AC-DC supply. Some of those are loosely regulated, or not regulated at all. Since the LED drivers’ purpose is to control the current flow through the LED, this results in the need for a LED driver to provide constant current or constant voltage to the LEDs.
Regardless of the many functions such as communication required by LED lighting, the development of the power supply block is, where several functions are concentrated, a key point. The current LED solutions, including LED lighting drivers, offer excellent dimming options for diverse topologies using DALI, Push-Dim, NFC configuration, or 1-10V.
LED lighting power supply units and LED driver design are required to offer maximum efficiency, power factor (PFC), total harmonic distortion (THD), and are subject to specific requirements regarding safety (EN 61347-1/-2-13), EMC (EN 55015), harmonic current emissions, and further specific requirements of standards such as UL and IEC.
Create innovative and differentiated LED lighting power supply units with our solutions for high-density LED drivers with wide dimming range:
Linear LED controller ICs for dimmable LED applications are a perfect fit for LED applications such as light engines, modules, and strips by combining a small form factor with a low cost.
Through its higher integration, BOM savings and protecting long lifetime of LEDs, these LED driver and power supply controller ICs have many advantages over discretes and resistor-based solutions.
The BCR-family controls the driving current under all conditions. Compared to using a limiting resistor this increases the longevity and reliability of your system and also allows the usage in outdoor or automotive LED driver applications featuring PWM dimming at high dimming frequencies, allowing flicker-free light.
It is important to know what the difference is between a constant current LED driver compared to an LED driver with constant voltage when choosing which LED driver to use. The main difference between an LED driver with constant current vs constant voltage, is that a constant current LED driver is designed to operate within a certain range of output voltages and has a fixed output current, while a constant voltage LED driver is designed for a single DC output voltage.
Desired features of a dimmable constant current LED drivers are high efficiency, high power factor (PF), low total harmonic distortion (THD), and a stable output current. They are a suitable option for high quality LED lighting such as streetlights, high-bay lighting, or office lighting.
Typically, LED drivers to provide a constant current to LED light engines for applications such as commercial indoor lighting, street lighting, and high bay lighting. The topology used in LED lighting driver design depends on the power rating and feature set. Low-power and cost-sensitive LED driver designs for lighting applications usually turn to single-stage flyback topology. For LED driver circuit designs with higher power ratings and larger feature sets, dual-stage topologies with a dedicated stage for power factor correction (PFC) and a dedicated stage for flyback or LLC are common.
Using primary constant voltage with secondary buck stage is a further option for LED lighting driver design. This topology supports intelligent lighting features as well as low dimming levels and other features. Ultimately, when deciding how to design the LED driver circuit, the topology most suitable for your design depends on the specific features to implement and your platform concept. Learn more about LED driver design basics with our AC-DC LED driver design guide and our Lighting ICs in general.
There is an increased demand for smart lighting solutions in commercial and residential buildings to reduce installation, maintenance, and operating costs. A reduction of energy consumption, while still increasing the comfort and attractiveness for users and tenants, needs to be achieved.
LED power supply units and LED drivers with integrated NFC interfaces are becoming increasingly common. With the NFC enabled LED driver, the LED output can be easily programmed during the manufacturing, installation and maintenance using the professional NFC reader devices.
The benefits of this technology are the wireless linking and programming of the LED driver. No cable is needed to connect the LED driver power supply to the user interface and multiple drivers can be controlled without effort. Also, enhanced diagnosis functions can be realized by using the NFC communication for maintenance purposes of LED lighting systems.
Create innovatively and differentiated LED lighting power supply systems with our latest NFC ICs combined with highly efficient power management solutions for high-density LED drivers with a wide dimming range.
The type of LED drivers used in an LED lighting application has a significant impact on key system performance indicators such as:
- Efficiency
- Dimming capability
- Power quality, i.e. PFC/THD
- Light quality, i.e. ripple/flicker
- Configurability of parameters, i.e. output current
- Ability to support add-on features such as power monitoring
- Product lifetime System efficiency can be influenced by the choice of topology and the type of components used.
A resonant topology, for instance, can increase LED driver efficiency by 4–5 percent. The right MOSFETs, a high-voltage start-up cell, as well as synchronous rectification, can also have a positive impact. Dimming down to 1 percent light output has become mainstream for indoor lighting. Design strategies usually use analog dimming to a certain level and then switch to PWM dimming for lower levels. Many customers demand compliance with PFC and THD regulatory requirements at 50 percent dimming. LED driver power supply based on a single-stage flyback topology usually have an output current ripple of ±30 percent.
Growing dissatisfaction with this ripple is fueling widespread adoption of two-stage topologies, i.e. single-stage PFC flyback combined with a secondary buck regulator. To date, DIP switches have been typically deployed to configure the output current of LED drivers. The trend is now moving towards more elegant methods and LED driver PCB design, with LED driver manufacturers and lighting fixture makers opting for NFC technology, for example. Digital controllers with a digital interface such as UART enable designers to implement power monitoring at the luminaire level.
Single stage flyback topology with constant Voltage output with IRS2982S and CoolMOS 800V P7
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PFC stage with IRS2505L and CoolMOS 600V P7
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CCM PFC stage with ICE2PCS0XG/ICE3PCS0XG and SiC diode
For power ranges above 300 W, CCM PFC mode offers benefits in terms of efficiency compared to DCM PFC mode.
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SiC diodes enable highest efficiency in combination with CCM PFC Controllers in high power LED applications
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PFC flyback topology with 0-10 V dimming with XDPL8105 and CoolMOS 800V P7
XDPL8105 is a primary-controlled high-performance single-stage PFC/flyback controller with constant current output.
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PFC flyback topology with 0-10 V dimming with XDPL8210 and CoolMOS 800V P7
XDPL8210 is a primary-controlled single-stage PFC/flyback controller with constant current output that supports 1% dimming.
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PFC flyback topology with very low standby power dimming with XDPL8219 and CoolMOS 800V P7
XDPL8219 is a primary-controlled single-stage PFC/flyback controller with constant voltage output with very low stand-by power enabling smart lighting applications.
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Two-stage intelligent & configurable PFC plus flyback controller with XDPL8221 and CoolMOS 600V P7 and CoolMOS 800V P7
XDPL8221 includes UART communication including dimming via UART and reading out of data like fault condition and power monitoring.
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PFC+ half-bridge topology with ICL5102 and CoolMOS 600V P7
ICL5102 is a PFC plus half-bridge resonant controller that has excellent PFC and THD performance combined with high-frequency operation in order to minimize the bill of materials.
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PFC resonant + half-bridge topology with ICL5102HV and CoolMOS 900V C3 & CoolMOS 950V P7
ICL5102HV is a PFC plus resonant combo controller that has excellent PFC and THD performance combined with high-frequency operation in order to minimize the bill of materials
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ILD8150 – 80 V DC-DC buck LED driver IC
ILD8150 is a DC-DC LED driver IC with 80 V breakdown voltage with an integrated MOSFET.
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ILD6150 – 60 V DC-DC buck LED driver IC
ILD6150 is a DC-DC LED driver IC with 60 V break-down voltage with an integrated MOSFET.
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BCR601 – 60 V linear LED controller with active headroom control
BCR601 is a linear controller that enables high efficiency at low cost as a second-stage LED controller to replace DC-DC buck converters especially in low- to mid-power LED drivers.
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IRS2982 – universal controller for high voltage buck
IRS2982 is a multi-mode LED driver IC that can be used for the flyback stage mainly for constant voltage output as well as for the buck stage of non-isolated PFC boost followed by a high-voltage buck.
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Trusted leader in high-voltage MOSFETs
| CoolMOS™ is an extremely well-established technology in LED driver applications. The main reasons why LED driver customers choose CoolMOS™ include:
For new designs, many LED driver makers are opting fort he newest generation of CoolMOS™, namely the P7 family. Highlights of this latest generation include the best price/performance ratio and highly granular RDS(on) classes combined with diverse packages. |
Another product family that has seen very high traction among lighting customers is the 950 V P7 family. Optimized for flyback topologies, where breakdown voltages above 800 V are required, 950 V P7 devices are emerging as the solution of choice among our customers. Our 600 V P7 portfolio is designed for high efficiencyacross all higher-power applications with an RDS(on) of up to 600 mΩ. For lower-power applications that require 600 V with an RDS(on) of > 600 mΩ, we recommend either 600 V CE or 700 P7 devices. 700 V P7 is well suited to the PFC and flyback stage. 600 V CE is a universal solution that can be used in all low-power topologies with an RDS(on) of > 600 Ω. Aware that security of supply is a key success factor for ourcustomers, we usually manufacture our products at multiple factories. This aspect might be considered for designswhere superior performance of CoolMOS™ can help todifferentiate your products from competitors. |
Designed to meet growing consumer needs in the high-voltage MOSFET arena, the latest 950 V CoolMOS™ P7 technology focuses on lighting.
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Best-in-class DPAK RDS(on)
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| With the 800 V CoolMOS™ P7 series, we have set a benchmark in 800 V superjunction technologies, combining bestin-class performance with remarkable ease of use. This new product family is a perfect fit for flyback-based LED driver applications. It is also suitable for PFC stages, offering a price/performance ratio to meet all market needs. | This technology optimizes key parameters to deliver bestin-class efficiency and thermal performance. As demonstrated through comparisons with a standard, commercially available 80 W LED driver, it reduces switching losses (Eoss) and output capacitance (Coss) by more than 45 percent while significantly improving the input capacitance (Ciss) and gate charge (QG). All of which leads to a 0.5 percent increase in efficiency at light load, which helps to reduce standby power in the end application. At full load, the observed improvement is up to 0.3 percent for efficiency coupled with a 6°C drop in device temperature. |
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As mentioned in the introduction, the choice of MOSFET will influence system efficiency. Due to benchmark switching losses, the 800 V CoolMOS™ P7 series can achieve very high levels of system efficiency. This efficiency gain relative to market-standard products widens under dimming conditions. Compared with the competition, the 800 V CoolMOS™ P7 technology allows designers to integrate much lower RDS(on) values into small and cost-effective packages such as DPAK. The same applies to even smaller and low-cost packages like SOT223. The 800 V P7 in a SOT223 package is footprint-compatible with the DPAK. |
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CoolMOS™ P7 sets a new benchmark in best-in-class DPAK RDS(on)
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The complete P7 platform has been developed with an integrated Zener diode to protect against electrostatic discharge (ESD). This increases the overall device ruggedness up to Human Body Model (HBM) class 2.
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| There are two main use cases for 700 V LED drivers. The main one is as a PFC stage for outdoor lighting, where 600 V might be borderline. For outdoor lighting, some LED driver designs have been deploying 650 V MOSFETs due to higher surge requirements relative to indoor lighting schemes. 700 V CoolMOS™ P7 is a highly cost-effective alternative to the 650 V MOSFETs with the added bonus of extra buffer. | The second use case is as a single-stage flyback design for narrow-range systems with 120 V and 230 V input voltages. 800 V MOSFETs will probably remain the devices of choice for single-stage flyback designs. Rising cost pressures for some narrow-range designs may position 700 V as a cost-effective alternative to 800 V MOSFETs. |
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| The 600 V CoolMOS™ P7 can be used for very different stages within LED drivers.
It offers the highest efficiency and improved power density due to significant reduction in gate charge (QG) and switching losses (EOSS) levels, coupled with optimized RDS(on). |
The carefully selected integrated gate resistors enable very low ringing tendency. The body diode is exceedingly robust against hard commutation, making it suited to hard- and soft-switching topologies such as LLC. |
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150 V OptiMOS™ 5 for synchronous rectification
The wide OptiMOS™ portfolio ranging from 100 V to 250 V enables the highest efficiency levels in synchronous rectification. OptiMOS™ consistently sets the benchmark for key design success factors including RDS(on), leading to reduced power losses and improved overall efficiency.
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Infineon’s NLM0011 is a dual-mode NFC wireless configuration IC with CLO and Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) output, primarily designed for LED applications to enable NFC programming. In addition, advanced features such as the Constant Lumen Output (CLO) as well as the on/off counting are integrated, with no need for an additional microcontroller. The NLM0010 is a light version of the NLM0011 without CLO function.
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CDM10V – integrated analog-to-PWM converter for 0–10 V dimming
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myInfineon: Join now and enjoy the benefits
In this training you will learn about…
• benchmarking performance for PFC and THD at full-load and low-load conditions
• how ICL88xx enables window drivers and platform designs
