Patent ID: 8258822

Claim:
A driver circuit for switching a load through a power transistor comprising: a first current generator configured to be controlled by a first signal and structured to charge a capacitance of a control terminal of said power transistor during power on of said power transistor by generating a charge current; a second current generator configured to be controlled by a second signal, said second generator being structured to discharge said capacitance of said control terminal of said power transistor during power off of said power transistor by generating a first discharge current; a control circuit electrically coupled to said second current generator and configured to be coupled to said control terminal of said power transistor, said control circuit comprising: a storage element structured to store a voltage value, which is representative of a potential difference between said control terminal and a conduction terminal of said power transistor when said power transistor operates in a saturation region, and a discharge circuit structured to discharge said capacitance of said control terminal of said power transistor during said power off process by generating a second discharge current, said second discharge current being a function of said stored voltage value, wherein the storage element is part of a sample and hold circuit configured to sample the potential difference between said drive terminal and a conduction terminal of said power transistor when said power transistor operates in the saturation region.