Patent ID: 7737737

Claim:
A drive circuit for driving a voltage-driven element including a gate terminal, an emitter terminal and a collector terminal, the drive circuit comprising: a first semiconductor switching element including a first terminal coupled to a signal source for the drive circuit, a second terminal coupled to a power source for the drive circuit and an output terminal coupled to an output point; a second semiconductor switching element complementary to the first semiconductor switching element and including a first terminal coupled to the signal source for the drive circuit, a second terminal coupled with the emitter terminal at a common potential and an output terminal coupled directly or indirectly to the output point; a third semiconductor switching element complementary to the first semiconductor switching element and including a first terminal coupled to the signal source for the drive circuit, a second terminal coupled with the emitter terminal at the common potential and an output terminal coupled directly or indirectly to the output point; a freewheeling diode coupled between the collector terminal and the emitter terminal; a first resistor disposed between the output point and the gate terminal; and a capacitive element having a first terminal coupled to a junction of the power source and the second terminal of the first semiconductor switching element and having a second terminal coupled to a point between the output terminal of the first semiconductor switching element and the gate terminal, the capacitive element supplying an electric charge from the power source to a portion between the gate terminal and the emitter terminal after an electric charge accumulated in the portion between the gate terminal and the emitter terminal is supplied to a portion between the gate terminal and the collector terminal.