STMicro Releases 600W High-Temperature Clamping Diode
STMicroelectronics announced a 600W peak-pulse-power clamping diode, capable of operating at up to 175°C junction temperature. The clamping diode is claimed to be the first 600W 10/1000µs device in the industry to be available in the compact SMA package.
The new SMA6J series is designed to protect sensitive electronic equipment in all industry sectors against electrostatic discharge (ESD) and power surges, meeting IEC and MIL STD standards, and is available in both unidirectional and bidirectional versions. The new diodes feature what is described as exceptionally low leakage currents, making them suitable for battery-powered products.
With a nine square millimeter footprint, the SMA package saves 50% of the PCB area required by the SMB package commonly used by suppressors with this power capability. In addition, the SMA package provides a small but significant height reduction to 2.23mm – 10% thinner than competitive devices – thereby meeting the requirements of the stacked PCBs typically used in hard disk drives (HDDs), as well as other compact applications.
The SMA6J is specified for operation at up to 175°C junction temperature (Tj max), which the company claims make it a better choice than regular 150°C devices for the hot environment of SMPS (switch-mode power supply) applications. The higher operating junction temperature provides an increased safety margin under real-world conditions and a doubling of the safety margin for a true junction temperature of 125°C. The leakage current is specified at 85°C as well as at 25°C, to simplify product design, especially in telecom applications. The leakage current itself, at 0.2µA at 25°C, is approximately 80% lower than competitive products.
The new series meets the IEC 61000-4-2 and MIL STD 883 Method 3015 ESD standards, plus overstress standards including IEC 61000-4-4 and IEC 61000-4-5. In addition, the maximum clamping voltage is specified for 8/20µs surges, as well as for 10/1000µs, to match worldwide surge definitions. The clamping voltage is lower by up to 9% than earlier devices, to provide better protection at the same surge level. Dynamic on-state resistances and temperature coefficients are specified to enable calculation of maximum clamping voltage for different surge voltage or temperature requirements.
The SMA6J Transil series is in volume production now, in stand-off voltages (VRM) from 5.0V to 188V, and is priced at $0.10 in small quantities.
