IR2181 — High-Voltage 600V 1.9A/2.3A High and Low-Side Gate Driver IC

Overview

The IR2181 (and lead-free IR2181PBF / IRS2181PBF) is a high-voltage, high-speed power MOSFET and IGBT half-bridge gate driver IC manufactured by Infineon Technologies (originally International Rectifier). It bridges the gap between ultra-compact 8-pin low-power drivers (such as the IR2101 / IR2103) and bulky 14-pin high-current drivers (such as the IR2110) by delivering a robust $1.9\text{ A}$ source / $2.3\text{ A}$ sink drive current directly inside a compact 8-pin PDIP or 8-pin SOIC package.

Fully operational up to high-side voltages of $+600\text{ V}$ , the IR2181 features independent high-side (HIN) and low-side (LIN) logic inputs with Schmitt-trigger inputs compatible down to $3.3\text{V}$ logic levels. It includes matched propagation delays for high-frequency switching, undervoltage lockout on both output channels, and negative transient immunity on the $V_S$ switching pin.

Quick reference


Driver Type	High and Low Side Half-Bridge Gate Driver IC
Package	8-pin PDIP (IR2181) / 8-pin SOIC (IR2181S) / 14-pin PDIP (IR21814)
High-Side Floating Offset ( $V_S$ )	Up to $+600\text{ V}$ DC max
Gate Driver Supply Range ( $V_{CC}$ )	$10.0\text{ V}$ to $20.0\text{ V}$ DC
Output Peak Current	$+1.9\text{ A}$ Source / $-2.3\text{ A}$ Sink peak
Turn-On / Turn-Off Delay	$t_{on} = 180\text{ ns}$ / $t_{off} = 220\text{ ns}$ typical
Delay Matching	$\le 40\text{ ns}$ maximum between channels
Logic Compatibility	$3.3\text{ V}$ , $5.0\text{ V}$ , and $15.0\text{ V}$ CMOS / LSTTL inputs
Low-Side Input Polarity	Non-inverting (in-phase: `LIN = 1` turns `LO` ON)

Pinout (DIP-8 / SOIC-8 Package)

text

        ┌──────────────┐
    VCC ─│ 1          8 │─ VB
    HIN ─│ 2          7 │─ HO
    LIN ─│ 3          6 │─ VS
    COM ─│ 4          5 │─ LO
        └──────────────┘

Pin	Name	Description
1	`VCC`	Low-side fixed supply voltage and logic supply input (+10V to +20V DC)
2	`HIN`	Logic input for high-side gate driver output (In-phase with `HO`)
3	`LIN`	Logic input for low-side gate driver output (In-phase with `LO`)
4	`COM`	Logic and low-side power ground return
5	`LO`	Low-side gate drive output (2.3A sink)
6	`VS`	High-side floating supply return (Half-bridge switching node / MOSFET source)
7	`HO`	High-side gate drive output (1.9A source)
8	`VB`	High-side floating bootstrap supply voltage pin

Input / Output Logic Truth Table

Both inputs are in-phase (non-inverting):

`HIN`	`LIN`	`HO` (High-Side Gate)	`LO` (Low-Side Gate)	Bridge State
Low (`0`)	Low (`0`)	Low (OFF)	Low (OFF)	Both MOSFETs OFF (High-Z midpoint)
High (`1`)	Low (`0`)	High (ON)	Low (OFF)	High-Side ON (Midpoint pulled to high voltage rail)
Low (`0`)	High (`1`)	Low (OFF)	High (ON)	Low-Side ON (Midpoint pulled to GND)
High (`1`)	High (`1`)	High (ON)	High (ON)	Shoot-Through Warning (MCU deadtime required!)

Warning

Because HIN and LIN operate independently, asserting both inputs HIGH simultaneously will turn ON both high- and low-side switches. Always program adequate deadtime in microcontroller software or timer peripherals.

Standard Application Circuit

text

                      +V_BUS High Voltage (Up to 600V DC)
                         │
                         ├───────────┐ [D_BOOT Ultra-Fast]
                         │           │
                         │          ┌┴┐
                         │          │▲│
                         │          └┬┘
                         │           │
                     [Pin 1: VCC]    │
                       IR2181        │
                     [Pin 8: VB] ────┴──────┐
                         │                  │
                     [Pin 7: HO] ─[R_G1]─┐ [C_BOOT 0.1µF-1.0µF]
                         │               │  │
                         │             ┌─┴──┴─┐  [Q1 High-Side N-MOSFET]
                     [Pin 6: VS] ──────┤  S   │
                         │             └──┬───┘
                         │                ├──────────── Half-Bridge Output
                         │                │
                     [Pin 5: LO] ─[R_G2]─┐│
                         │               ││
                         │             ┌─┴┴───┐  [Q2 Low-Side N-MOSFET]
                     [Pin 4: COM] ─────┤  S   │
                         │             └──┬───┘
                        GND               │
                                         GND

Specifications

Parameter	Symbol	Min	Typ	Max	Unit	Conditions
High-Side Floating Supply Voltage	$V_B$	-0.3	—	625	V	Relative to COM
High-Side Floating Offset Voltage	$V_S$	$V_B - 25$	—	$V_B + 0.3$	V	Switching node
Low-Side Supply Voltage	$V_{CC}$	10.0	—	20.0	V	Operating range
Logic High Input Threshold	$V_{IH}$	2.7	—	—	V	$V_{CC} = 10\text{V} \dots 20\text{V}$
Logic Low Input Threshold	$V_{IL}$	—	—	0.8	V	$V_{CC} = 10\text{V} \dots 20\text{V}$
Output High Short-Circuit Current	$I_{O+}$	1.4	1.9	—	A	$V_O = 0\text{V}, V_{IN} = \text{High}, PW \le 10\ \mu\text{s}$
Output Low Short-Circuit Current	$I_{O-}$	1.8	2.3	—	A	$V_O = 15\text{V}, V_{IN} = \text{Low}, PW \le 10\ \mu\text{s}$
Turn-On Propagation Delay	$t_{on}$	—	180	270	ns	$V_S = 0\text{V}$
Turn-Off Propagation Delay	$t_{off}$	—	220	330	ns	$V_S = 600\text{V}$
Turn-On Rise Time	$t_r$	—	40	60	ns	$C_L = 1000\text{ pF}$
Turn-Off Fall Time	$t_f$	—	20	35	ns	$C_L = 1000\text{ pF}$

Common mistakes

Assuming IR2181 has inverted LIN like IR2103: In the IR2103, ~LIN~ is active-LOW. In the IR2181, LIN is active-HIGH (non-inverting). Replacing an IR2103 with an IR2181 without updating low-side control logic will invert the low-side gate drive.
Negative voltage undershoot on VS during inductive switching: Fast turn-off of the low-side MOSFET can drive $V_S$ below $COM$ ( $< -5\text{V}$ ). Protect the IC by placing a fast recovery clamping diode from $COM$ to $V_S$ and a $3\ \Omega \dots 10\ \Omega$ series resistor into the $V_S$ pin.
Omitting low-ESR ceramic decoupling on VCC: Sourcing $1.9\text{A}$ pulses into large MOSFET gates requires a low-ESR $1.0\ \mu\text{F} \dots 4.7\ \mu\text{F}$ ceramic capacitor directly across Pin 1 (VCC) and Pin 4 (COM).

Notes

Comparison with IR2101 / IR2110: The IR2181 delivers nearly the same drive current as the 14-pin IR2110 ( $1.9\text{A}/2.3\text{A}$ vs $2.0\text{A}/2.0\text{A}$ ) but in a significantly smaller standard 8-pin footprint, making it ideal for compact PCB layouts.

Interface	High-Side Input (HIN), Low-Side Input (LIN), High-Side Gate Drive (HO), Low-Side Gate Drive (LO), Bootstrap Supply (VB, VS)
Package	8-pin PDIP / 8-pin SOIC / 14-pin PDIP (IR21814)