Patent ID: 8471606

Claim:
A driver circuit for controlling a semiconductor power switch, the driver circuit comprising: a first power driver transistor and a second power driver transistor, complementary to the first power driver transistor; the first and second power driver transistors having an output terminal connected to an input terminal of the semiconductor power switch, where the semiconductor power switch comprises a bipolar junction transistor for driving an electric motor; an input terminal of the second power driver transistor is connected to a half bridge circuit comprising a first pre-driver transistor and a second pre-driver transistor, complementary to the first pre-driver transistor; the first and second pre-driver transistors having an output terminal connected to the input terminal of the second power driver transistor; a voltage limiter connected between outputs of the first pre-driver transistor and the second pre-driver transistor; and a resistor coupled to a source terminal of the first pre-driver transistor, where the resistance is sized based on a switching speed requirement for the second power driver transistor.