The smart shutdown feature works in conjunction with the fault comparator. Previously, gate drivers have only a shut down pin with an RC circuit connected to provide a delay during power up. In the event of an emergency condition (over current for instance), this RC circuit also delays the shut down of the application. Therefore a trade-off must be found between the time to power up an application and the time to shut down. The smart shutdown function avoids this trade off. The comparator detects a fault condition and switches an internal MOS to shut down the gate drivers independently of the RC circuit. Hence, a long power up and a short shut down is possible.