SiFive Tapes Out First 5nm TSMC 32-bit RISC-V Chip with 7.2 Gbps HBM3

Re:SiFive Tapes Out First 5nm TSMC 32-bit RISC-V Chip with 7... by dragontamer on Friday April 16, 2021 @03:49PM (#26838346)

I'm not really in the industry. But I know that high-voltage MOSFETs / IGBTs need substantial amounts of current to turn on / off adequately. Under typical use, there's a dedicated chip called a "Gate Driver" that provides that current, between a microcontroller and the IGBT.

Its not that the IGBT / MOSFETs are built on these microcontrollers. Its that the Gate-Driver can be integrated into a microcontroller (simplifying the circuit design and reducing the number of parts you need to buy).

Under normal circumstances, a microcontroller can probably source/sink 1mA (too little to adequately turn on an IGBT). You amplify the 1mA with a gate-driver chip into 100mA, and then the amplified 100mA is used to turn on/off the IGBT.

By integrating a gate-driver into the microcontroller, you save a part.

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Re:SiFive Tapes Out First 5nm TSMC 32-bit RISC-V Chip with 7... by bravo22 on Friday April 16, 2021 @06:10PM (#26839607)

Gate drivers are discrete parts and aren't integrated into microcontorllers because they require high voltages (12/24V vs 3.3V) amongst many other reasons.

They also have to be located close to the IGBT and the designers would want it as a separate part because it gives them enormous flexibility. You aren't saving much by adding a gate driver to a micro and I can't think of any micro that has it integrated. There are simple things like motor drivers, etc. that may have a gate driver integrated but that's not a micro and those are also built on large nodes -- much larger than nodes used for microcontrollers.

FWIW: I design advanced node (20-5nm) ASICs for a living, and have designed on older nodes before. I've also worked in power electronics.

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