In phase-cut dimming systems, a key technical issue has been mostly TRIAC holding current maintenance with low power LED lamps. In order to continue TRIAC conduction until the line voltage zero crossing, there have been several trials to flatten the driver input current higher than the holding current. In the previous compensation methods to provide constant input current, the input current is not precisely constant with a compensation error.

Diodes Incorporated (Nasdaq: DIOD), a leading global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality application specific standard products within the broad discrete, logic and analog semiconductor markets, today introduced the AL1697 LED driver. This device targets line-powered, triac-dimmable LED lighting applications. It also provides compatibility with leading- and trailing-edge triac dimmers using a single-stage, high power-factor dimming circuit that complies with the NEMA SSL-6 dimming curve, delivering optimal line and load regulation. This integrated MOSFET eliminates the need for auxiliary winding, which lowers BOM cost and enables a smaller PCB, making this an attractive and competitive solution for driving LED lamps up to 15W.