STMicroelectronics announces line-powered, high-PF LED driver IC

March 13, 2015
The HVLED001 IC is based on a quasi-resonant topology and can support single-stage SSL designs up to 75W and two-stage designs up to 150W.

The HVLED001 IC is based on a quasi-resonant topology and can support single-stage SSL designs up to 75W and two-stage designs up to 150W.

STMicroelectronics has announced the HVLED001 LED driver IC — a line-powered, power-conversion controller designed for a broad range of solid-state lighting (SSL) applications. The IC can serve as the basis of a single-stage LED driver with high power factor (PF), using primary-side regulation, and delivering a minimal bill of materials in terms of external discrete components.

Single-stage drivers are preferred in cost-sensitive applications because of the inherently fewer components required in the driver implementation. The semiconductor industry initially struggled, however, to deliver ICs that could support such a design while also delivering good dimming performance and a high power factor. In the last two years, a number of LED driver ICs have emerged to enable capable single-stage designs. For example, Dialog Semiconductor recently added to its single-stage portfolio.

STMicroelectronics says that the HVLED001 LED driver IC can deliver power factor greater than 0.9 and total harmonic distortion below 10%. The IC is targeted specifically at the SSL luminaire space. The product supports LED-based products starting at the 20W level, beyond the power level required in most retrofit lamps. Single-stage designs can go up to 75W in system power. In two-stage designs where the IC implements a DC-DC converter, it will support up to 150W designs.

The new IC does not work with phase-controlled or triac dimmers, given the commercial luminaire target. The IC can accept 0–10V analog dimming controls or a pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) input and deliver the appropriate current level over the range of 10–100%.

A key advantage of the HVLED001 LED driver IC comes courtesy of the high-voltage-capable manufacturing process that STMicroelectronics uses to manufacture the device. The IC can connect directly to rectified line voltage at levels to 800V. Therefore, a driver based on the IC does not require separate circuitry to power the IC through the startup phase and the driver can start quickly. STMicroelectronics said that it can start up in 0.5 seconds.

STMicroelectronics has also developed an evaluation board based on the LED driver IC that development teams can use to jumpstart projects. The 35W, single-LED-string design works from inputs ranging from 90–305V and delivers 700 mA of output current. Efficiency is greater than 90% at full load.

STMicroelectronics is a relatively quiet player among the LED driver IC vendors, although the company has enjoyed success in the market. The company has supplied ICs into the Cree retrofit lamp program. The company also has the microcontroller (MCU) portfolio needed to enable smart SSL applications. For example, it launched a smart street-light reference design last year.