AUSTIN, Texas, Apr 21, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Silicon
Laboratories Inc. (NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in
high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs, has expanded its
popular ISOpro(TM) family to include ISOdriver isolated gate drivers that
support up to 5 kV isolation ratings. Silicon Labs' new 5 kV-certified
Si82xx isolated gate drivers reduce cost and complexity for
safety-critical industrial systems and universal-powered systems with
120/220 volt supplies. Target applications include isolated switch mode
and uninterruptible power supplies, test and measurement equipment,
robotic assemblies, industrial drives, industrial and electric vehicle
motor controls, battery and solar inverters, wind turbines, air
conditioning systems, plasma displays and electronic lighting ballasts.
"Leveraging Silicon Labs' proprietary and patented RF-based
isolation technology, the new ISOdriver ICs combine advanced digital
isolation and gate driver capabilities into a single-chip solution,"
said Diwakar Vishakhadatta, isolation product line director at Silicon
Labs. "The high level of integration we've achieved enables developers
to simplify their bill of materials, improve efficiency and reduce
system cost by eliminating the need for up to 12 external components
compared to optocoupler or gate-drive transformer solutions, while
at the same time improving system reliability to industrial standards by
using CMOS technology."
The new 5 kV Si82xx isolated gate drivers include the Si822x
optocoupler-input-compatible devices and the Si823x digital-input
devices. The Si822x gate drivers feature a passive diode input type that
emulates an optocoupler's input, while providing all the performance
benefits that accompany CMOS-based digital isolation. The Si822x devices
significantly improve system reliability by providing a functional
upgrade for popular optocoupler gate drivers.
The Si822x and Si823x devices feature ultra-fast 50 ns propagation
delays - more than five times faster than common optocoupler plus gate
driver solutions - for better timing margins and higher system
efficiency. Based on mainstream CMOS process technology, ISOdriver
devices exhibit none of the performance degradations over time and
temperature which are common with optocoupler solutions. Supporting gate
drive voltages of up to 24 V and peak output current ranging from 0.5 to
4.0 A, the ISOdrivers deliver best-in-class drive strength for both
MOSFET and insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) applications,
ensuring fast turn-off and turn-on of external switching transistors for
maximum efficiency.
For design flexibility, the new ISOdriver devices are available in
high-side/low-side and dual driver versions. The high-side/low-side
versions have built-in protection against overlap timing errors,
ensuring reliable operation for safety-critical applications. In
addition, built-in programmable dead-time control allows the user to
tune the power supply system for peak system efficiency - a key feature
for high-power applications such as motor control.
Simplifying power system application development
Isolated gate drivers are critical building blocks used within
power delivery systems in many electronic products. To help speed time
to market for these products, Silicon Labs supports power system
designers with cost-effective development tools including an open loop
evaluation board (OPENLPPOL-EVB). This 100 kHz to 500 kHz single-phase
point-of-load evaluation kit streamlines evaluation of multiple Silicon
Labs' digital isolation products including the Si8234 ISOdriver, Si8512
ac current sensor, and Si8540 dc current sensor.
To support development of isolated dc-dc switched mode power
supplies, Silicon Labs and National Semiconductor have collaborated on a
comprehensive 100 W reference design targeted at high-volume networking
and telecom switch mode power supplies (SMPS). Featuring a Silicon Labs
ISOpro digital isolator IC and National's LM5035C controller, the
reference design and evaluation board provide a fully functional power
converter in the industry-standard quarter-brick form factor based on a
half-bridge topology. For more information about the SMPS reference
design and evaluation board, visit www.silabs.com/pr/SMPSReferenceDesign.
In addition to its expanded Si82xx ISOdriver family, Silicon Labs
offers complementary IC products for power supply applications including ISOpro
digital isolator ICs, current
sensors and small-form-factor mixed-signal
microcontrollers (MCUs).
Pricing and Availability
The Si82xx ISOdriver isolated gate driver ICs are available today.
Pricing in 10K quantities for Si82xx devices with a 5 kV isolation
rating begins at $1.16 USD. The OPENLPPOL-EVB evaluation board is
available now for $99 USD. For additional product information and to
purchase samples and development tools, please visit www.silabs.com/pr/isolation.
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.
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 highly-integrated,
easy-to-use products offers customers significant advantages in
performance, size and power consumption. These patented solutions serve
a broad set of markets and applications including consumer,
communications, computing, industrial and automotive.
Headquartered in Austin, TX, Silicon Labs is a global enterprise
with operations, sales and design activities worldwide. The company is
committed to contributing to our customers' success by recruiting the
highest quality talent to create industry-changing innovations. For more
information about Silicon Labs, please visit www.silabs.com.
SOURCE: Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Silicon Laboratories Inc.
Dale Weisman, +1-512-532-5871
dale.weisman@silabs.com
Follow Silicon Labs on Twitter at http://twitter.com/silabs.
Copyright Business Wire 2010