MC33937APEK574 - 3-Phase FET Pre-Driver, 1.5A Gate, 40V, SPI | NXP
MPN: MC33937APEK574 ✓ Active| Qty | Unit Price | Extended |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | $4.87 | $4.87 |
| 10 | $4.39 | $43.90 |
| 100 | $3.91 | $391.00 |
| 500 | $3.52 | $1,760.00 |
| 1,000 | $3.13 | $3,130.00 |
MC33937APEK574 Overview
A three-phase FET pre-driver (gate driver) is a control IC that sits between low-power microcontroller logic outputs and the high-current gates of power MOSFETs in a three-phase inverter. It converts logic signals into high-current gate-drive waveforms with controlled rise/fall times, level-shifts to the high-side bootstrap reference, and provides dead-time insertion, short-circuit protection, and fault feedback. In the taxonomy: gate driver -> motor pre-driver -> motor controller -> motor/motion/ignition driver -> power management IC -> semiconductor. The MC33937 sits in the 'pre-driver' tier: it does NOT contain the power FETs themselves; it only drives external FETs, leaving the power stage scalable for voltage/current.
Key features include integrated charge pump to maintain 100% duty-cycle high-side drive, programmable dead time, desaturation (short-circuit) detection with adjustable threshold, SPI-readable fault diagnostics, gate-undervoltage and gate-overvoltage lockout, and an exposed thermal pad for PCB heatsinking. The >1.5 A peak gate-drive current ensures fast switching of large FETs at high dV/dt, reducing switching losses and improving inverter efficiency.
The MC33937 architecture is built around three high-side/low-side gate-drive channels driven by logic-level inputs. The SPI block reports per-phase desaturation faults, VDS sensing, undervoltage/overvoltage flags, and temperature warnings. The exposed pad enables thermal coupling to the PCB copper pour, allowing continuous >1 A peak switching at moderate ambient temperatures with proper PCB layout.
Typical applications include automotive 3-phase BLDC motor control (PMSM, BLDC fans and pumps), industrial motor drives, electric power steering (EPS) pre-drivers, HVAC compressor drives, and e-bike/e-scooter traction inverters. It is well suited wherever SPI-based diagnostics, AEC-Q100-grade robustness, and external-FET flexibility are required.
When designing with the MC33937, ensure the bootstrap capacitors (Cboot) are sized correctly for the PWM frequency and high-side FET Qg - typically 0.47 uF to 2.2 uF. Place VDD, VLS, and VLS_CAP decoupling capacitors (0.47 uF enabled, 2.2 uF on VLS and VLS_CAP per the datasheet) as close to the IC as possible.
This page synthesizes distributor pricing, drop-in alternatives within the same SOIC-EP-54 footprint, and practical PCB-layout guidance not found in the manufacturer datasheet alone.
Drop-in alternatives for MC33937APEK574 — same package, pin-to-pin compatible. Different-package parts requiring PCB rework are excluded.
Variants in this series
Same-series models that are drop-in compatible with MC33937APEK574 (same form factor and footprint) — differing in Charge Pump, Package.
Quick Comparison Tool — Select alternative parts for side-by-side comparison:
MC33937APEK
✅ Drop-In✓ In Stock
$3.78 / Unit
View Datasheet →MC33937TEK
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
MC33937EFR
✅ Drop-In📋 Reference alternative (not in catalog)
MC33937APEK574 Maximum Ratings & Electrical Characteristics
| Function | 3-Phase FET Pre-Driver |
| Topology Driven | Three-phase N-channel MOSFET bridge (6 FETs) |
| Peak Gate Drive Current | >1.5 A (typ) |
| Supply Voltage (VCC / VDD) | 40 V max |
| Communication Interface | SPI (daisy-chain capable) |
| Number of Phases | 3 |
| Number of Channels (HS+LS) | 6 (3 high-side + 3 low-side) |
| Short-Circuit Protection | Desaturation detection (programmable threshold) |
| Dead-Time Adjustment | Programmable via SPI/external resistor |
| Charge Pump | Integrated (100% duty-cycle capable) |
| Package | 54-SOIC-EP (exposed pad) |
| Mounting Type | Surface Mount |
MC33937APEK574 Pin Configuration
| Pin 1 | VLS — Low-side gate-drive supply |
| Pin 2 | VLS_CAP — Low-side gate-drive capacitor pin |
| Pin 3 | GND — Analog ground |
| Pin 4 | PGND — Power ground for gate drivers |
| Pin 5 | VDD — Logic and gate-driver supply |
| Pin 6 | VBS_A |
| Pin 7 | PHA_HS — Phase A high-side gate drive output |
| Pin 8 | PHA_LS — Phase A low-side gate drive output |
| Pin 9 | PHB_HS — Phase B high-side gate drive output |
| Pin 10 | PHB_LS — Phase B low-side gate drive output |
| Pin 11 | PHC_HS — Phase C high-side gate drive output |
| Pin 12 | PHC_LS — Phase C low-side gate drive output |
| Pin 13 | FAULT_RSTn — Fault reset input (active low) |
| Pin 14 | INTn — Interrupt output to MCU (active low) |
| Pin 15 | EN — Global enable input (active high) |
| Pin 16 | CSn — SPI chip select (active low) |
| Pin 17 | SCLK — SPI clock input |
| Pin 18 | SDI — SPI data input (MOSI) |
| Pin 19 | SDO — SPI data output (MISO) |
| Pin 20 | SCK_OUT — SPI daisy-chain clock output |
| Pin 21 | CS_OUT — SPI daisy-chain chip-select output |
| Pin 22 | SDO_DC — SPI daisy-chain data output |
| Pin 23 | SDI_DC — SPI daisy-chain data input |
| Pin 24 | VPHASE_A — Phase A voltage sense (desaturation) |
| Pin 25 | VPHASE_B — Phase B voltage sense (desaturation) |
| Pin 26 | VPHASE_C — Phase C voltage sense (desaturation) |
| Pin 27 | VDES_TH |
| Pin 28 | RDEAD — Dead-time programming resistor |
| Pin 29 | PWM_FREQ — PWM frequency / blanking time resistor |
| Pin 30 | PWM_A — Phase A PWM input from MCU |
| Pin 31 | PWM_B — Phase B PWM input from MCU |
| Pin 32 | PWM_C — Phase C PWM input from MCU |
| Pin 33 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 34 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 35 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 36 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 37 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 38 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 39 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 40 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 41 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 42 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 43 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 44 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 45 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 46 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 47 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 48 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 49 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 50 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 51 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 52 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 53 | NC — Not connected (per datasheet) |
| Pin 54 | EP — Exposed pad - thermal dissipation, solder to PCB copper pour |
Typical Applications
MC33937APEK574 is suitable for 6 applications: Automotive 3-Phase BLDC Motor Control, Electric Power Steering (EPS) Pre-Driver, HVAC Compressor Inverter, Industrial 3-Phase PMSM Drive, E-Bike / E-Scooter Traction Inverter, Solar Pump / Pump Inverter Drive.
Automotive 3-Phase BLDC Motor Control
The MC33937APEK574's >1.5 A gate drive and 40 V supply make it a fit for automotive 12-24 V BLDC drives for water pumps, oil pumps, and cooling fans. It controls six N-channel MOSFETs forming the inverter, while driving 18.5 A peak gate current source/sink. Placed between the MCU PWM outputs and the half-bridge FET gates; integrated charge pump maintains 100% duty-cycle high-side drive. SPI reports per-phase faults for cut condition monitoring.
Recommended
Electric Power Steering (EPS) Pre-Driver
The MC33937APEK574's SPI-based diagnostics and programmable desaturation protection make it ideal for EPS inverter pre-driver roles where functional safety is critical. It drives the three-phase FET bridge with >1.5 A gate drive, enabling low-distortion torque control. Programmable dead time prevents shoot-through. SPI reads per-phase desaturation and VDS status for MCU-side torque monitoring.
Recommended
HVAC Compressor Inverter
The MC33937APEK574's 40 V supply headroom makes it well suited for HVAC BLDC compressor inverters in 24 V automotive systems. It enables sinusoidal FOC of the compressor motor with >1.5 A gate drive for fast switching. Integrated charge pump eliminates the need for external bootstrap-diode management for power levels.
Recommended
Industrial 3-Phase PMSM Drive
The MC33937APEK574's SPI-configurable dead time and desaturation threshold make it a fit for industrial PMSM drives used in CNC spindles, robotics, and conveyor systems. It drives external 100-200 V N-channel FETs with >1.5 A gate peak current. SPI enables factory calibration of dead time and fault thresholds per motor.
Recommended
E-Bike / E-Scooter Traction Inverter
The MC33937APEK574's exposed-pad package and SPI diagnostics make it suitable for e-bike traction inverters at 24-36 V battery rails. It delivers >1.5 A gate drive to small-to-medium N-channel FET bridges. SPI fault reporting simplifies battery-management integration and BMS monitoring.
Recommended
Solar Pump / Pump Inverter Drive
The MC33937APEK574's 40 V supply and SPI fault reporting make it a fit for solar submersible-pump inverters running directly from 24-36 V PV strings. The pre-driver controls the three-phase BLDC pump motor with >1.5 A gate drive, while SPI enables MPPT-loop fault telemetry.
Recommended
Recommended Products Summary
Engineering reference data for MC33937APEK574 — comparison, design guidance, and compliance information.
Selection Guide
Comparison with Alternatives
| Parameter | This Product | MC33937APEK | MC33937TEK | MC33937EFR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package | 54-SOIC-EP | 54-SOIC-EP - same | 54-SOIC-EP - same | 54-SOIC-EP - same |
| Brand | NXP Semiconductors | NXP Semiconductors - same | NXP Semiconductors - same | NXP Semiconductors - same |
| Function | 3-Phase FET Pre-Driver | 3-Phase FET Pre-Driver - same | 3-Phase FET Pre-Driver - same | 3-Phase FET Pre-Driver - same |
| Peak Gate Drive Current | >1.5 A | >1.5 A | >1.5 A | >1.5 A |
| Maximum Supply Voltage | 40 V | 40 V | 40 V | 40 V |
| Communication Interface | SPI | SPI | SPI | SPI |
| Number of Phases | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Short-Circuit Protection | Yes (desaturation) | Yes (desaturation) | Yes (desaturation) | Yes (desaturation) |
| Reel Code Suffix | 574 | no suffix (tray) | TEK | EFR |
Key Differentiators
- Integrated charge pump for 100% duty-cycle high-side drive (vs MC33932 (lower-voltage pre-driver))
- 40 V supply rating with SPI diagnostics (vs MC33932 (28 V max supply))
- Three-phase half-bridge pre-driver vs integrated FETs (vs MC33926 (integrated 3-phase FET module))
Design Notes
Bootstrap capacitor sizing is critical for the MC33937APEK574. Per the NXP datasheet, use 0.47 uF on VDD, 2.2 uF on VLS, and 2.2 uF on VLS_CAP as baseline values. Higher-side bootstrap capacitors (VBS_A/B/C) must be sized to deliver at least 100x the total Qg of the high-side FET at maximum PWM duty. A 0.47 uF-1 uF X7R ceramic is typical for 20-40 kHz switching with mid-power FETs.
Estimated: at >1.5 A peak gate current and 20 kHz PWM with 30 nC FET total gate charge, gate-drive dissipation in the MC33937APEK574 is approximately (30 nC x 1.5 A x 20 kHz x 6 FETs) ~ 5.4 W. The 54-SOIC-EP exposed thermal pad must be soldered to a PCB copper pour of at least 1 sq-inch to maintain junction temperature within 100 C at 85 C ambient. Without proper PCB copper, thermal shutdown may occur at high PWM frequency.
Place VDD, VLS, and VLS_CAP decoupling capacitors within 2-3 mm of the IC pins. Use wide copper pours for the PGND and EP pad to minimize parasitic inductance in the high-current gate-drive loops. Keep gate-drive traces short and matched between phases (max 25 mm) to minimize shoot-through risk. Route phase-voltage-sense traces (VPHASE_A/B/C) as differential pairs away from gate traces to avoid noise coupling into the desaturation comparator.
Do not exceed 40 V on VDD or VBS pins, including load-dump transients. Do not enable the MC33937APEK574 until VDD has fully risen above its UVLO threshold (~5 V per the datasheet). Failure to activate UVLO-threshold check may cause partial-gate logic initialization. Ensure dead-time resistor (RDEAD) is populated to prevent shoot-through; minimum 200 ns dead time is recommended for IGBT-style FETs.
Compliance Information
Automotive-grade qualified per NXP product page (AEC-Q100 grade depends on variant suffix - 'EK' suffix variants are typically grade 1). RoHS compliant per LCSC listing. Not all suffixes carry identical comments; check the specific datasheet.
