CMOS-Based Si87xx Isolators Offer Longer Device Lifetime and Superior
Reliability, Enabling Manufacturers to Extend Product Warranties
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Silicon
Laboratories Inc. (NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in high-performance,
analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs, today introduced the industry's
first drop-in replacement for optocouplers based on mainstream CMOS
technology and incorporating an innovative light-emitting diode (LED)
emulator input. The new Si87xx digital isolators offer a perfect pin
configuration, package and footprint fit for a number of optocoupler
products while offering superior noise immunity, more robust performance
and greater reliability, making them ideal for solar power inverters,
switched mode power supplies (SMPS), uninterruptible power supplies
(UPS), industrial drives, programmable logic controllers (PLCs),
high-voltage medical equipment and other applications that often use
optocouplers.
Used for more than 40 years, optocouplers are inherently limited by
outdated LED-based technology, which exhibits significant output
variation over input current, temperature and age. These variations
reduce the operating performance and reliability over the optocoupler's
lifetime, resulting in increased design complexity and shorter life
expectancy for end products. Because of their aging effects,
optocouplers are often specified to last only 10 years, posing a serious
problem for industrial system designers who want to develop products
with 20+ year warranties.
Silicon Labs' Si87xx opto-replacement devices use a patented CMOS-based
isolation architecture that is completely immune to the output
variations that plague LED-based optocouplers. CMOS-based capacitive
isolation technology provides more than ten times the
mean-time-to-failure (MTTF) rate of optocouplers. By offering longer
device lifetimes and higher reliability, the Si87xx isolators enable
system manufacturers to support longer end product warranties and reduce
costs associated with repair or replacement. Less variability,
especially in the input turn-on current, also simplifies system designs
since engineers no longer need to anticipate aging effects when using
the Si87xx devices.
The Si87xx family is based on Silicon Labs' industry-leading capacitive
isolation technology, with isolation ratings up to 5 kV and fully
compliant with IEC 60747-5-2 including 10 kV surge protection. The
family meets the requirements for IEC 60950-1, 61010-1 and 60601-1
(reinforced insulation) and provides up to 1200 V working voltage with a
60+ year lifetime.
In addition to their inherent immunity to temperature, age and forward
current effects, the Si87xx isolators offer other significant
performance advantages over competing optocouplers:
-
The Si87xx devices offer a 50 percent lower input turn-on current and
a 10x lower output quiescent current than competing optocouplers,
reducing overall system power.
-
The low parasitic capacitance of the Si87xx digital isolation
architecture improves the common mode transient immunity (CMTI) by as
much as 75 percent over competing optocouplers, thereby enhancing
system data integrity. Due to the inherent high parasitic capacitance
of their LED-based architecture, optocouplers suffer from poor CMTI,
which can lead to incorrect data being passed across the isolator.
-
The Si87xx isolators outperform optocouplers in key timing
specifications, such as propagation delay and pulse-width distortion,
enabling faster, more accurate data transfer and improved efficiency.
"The new Si87xx family represents the industry's first major step along
the path to drop-in optocoupler replacement by providing a perfect
package/footprint fit for a number of widely used optocoupler products,"
said Mark Thompson, vice president and general manager of Access, Power
and Sensor products at Silicon Labs. "Our new opto-replacement solution
is the best choice for systems that currently use outmoded optocouplers
but need significant improvements in power efficiency, performance,
reliability and product lifetime."
All Si87xx isolators incorporate an innovative LED emulator input that,
along with new package options, allows Silicon Labs to offer a fully
drop-in compatible upgrade for many existing optocouplers. The base
Si8710 device consists of an LED emulator input and an open-collector
output. Two additional device configurations are available: the Si8711
adds an integrated pull-up resistor, and the Si8712 includes a dedicated
enable pin that can asynchronously control the output.
Pricing and Availability
Samples and production quantities of the Si87xx digital isolators are
available now in SOIC-8 and GW DIP-8 packages with isolation ratings up
to 3.75 kV. Si87xx products in SO-6 and LGA-8 packages certified to 5 kV
isolation ratings will be available in Q1 2013. Pricing for the new
Si87xx digital isolators in 10,000-unit quantities begins at $0.43 (USD).
The Si87xxDIP8-KIT Evaluation Kit, available now for $29 (USD MSRP),
enables customers to evaluate the performance of Si87xx opto-replacement
isolators. The evaluation board is flexible enough to allow both hook-up
to lab equipment for detailed specification evaluation as well as
connection to the customer's existing board.
For additional information about Silicon Labs' Si87xx digital isolators
and to purchase samples and development tools, please visit www.silabs.com/pr/isolation.
Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Silicon Laboratories is an industry leader in the innovation of
high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs. Developed by a
world-class engineering team with unsurpassed expertise in mixed-signal
design, Silicon Labs' diverse portfolio of patented semiconductor
solutions offers customers significant advantages in performance, size
and power consumption. For more information about Silicon Labs, please
visit www.silabs.com.
Cautionary Language
This press release may contain forward-looking statements based on
Silicon Laboratories' current expectations. These forward-looking
statements involve risks and uncertainties. A number of important
factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those in
the forward-looking statements. For a discussion of factors that could
impact Silicon Laboratories' financial results and cause actual results
to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements,
please refer to Silicon Laboratories' filings with the SEC. Silicon
Laboratories disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise
any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information,
future events or otherwise.
Note to editors: Silicon Laboratories, Silicon Labs, the "S" symbol, the
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Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Dale Weisman, +1-512-532-5871
dale.weisman@silabs.com
Source: Silicon Laboratories Inc.
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