New Si80xx Isolators Outperform Optocouplers for Household Appliance
Applications Requiring Multi-Channel 1 kV Functional Isolation
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Silicon
Labs (NASDAQ: SLAB), a leader in high-performance, analog-intensive,
mixed-signal ICs, today introduced a family of digital isolators
offering the highest channel count, performance, reliability and data
rates for cost-sensitive consumer electronics applications requiring
functional isolation of up to 1 kV. Based on Silicon Labs' patented CMOS-based
digital isolation technology, the new Si80xx
family provides a superior alternative to optocouplers for washers,
dryers, food mixers, vacuum cleaners and other household appliances, as
well as test and measurement equipment requiring functional isolation.
Used for more than 40 years, optocouplers are inherently limited by an
antiquated LED-based technology resulting in significant output
variations over input current, temperature and age. These variations
reduce the operating performance of optocouplers over their lifetime,
causing increased design complexity and reduced product reliability.
Silicon Labs' Si80xx digital isolators overcome these limitations
through capacitive isolation based on mainstream CMOS process
technology. Higher reliability and longer device lifetimes enable
manufacturers to support longer product warranties and reduce costs
associated with repair or replacement. Less variability, especially in
the input turn-on current, simplifies system design.
Developers no longer need to anticipate aging effects when they switch
from using optocouplers to Si80xx digital isolators in their product
designs. The operating parameters of the Si80xx digital isolators remain
stable across wide temperature ranges and throughout their long service
life for ease of system design and highly uniform performance in
consumer applications.
The Si80xx family offers a superior functional isolation solution than
other digital isolators for applications that require multiple isolated
signal channels. Available in a choice of 3- to 6-channel
configurations, the Si80xx family is the industry's widest channel count
series of unidirectional isolators supporting up to 1 kV isolation
ratings. The Si80xx family's industry-leading isolation channel count
also helps simplify timing and isolation challenges in systems with wide
digital buses by enabling developers to minimize the number of separate
isolators, thereby reducing bill of materials (BOM) cost and board space.
Compared to competing digital isolator products, the Si80xx isolators
provide significant electromagnetic emissions and immunity performance
advantages, which simplify system design, reduce cost and ease
electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) compliance challenges. The Si80xx
isolators have up to 20 dB lower electromagnetic emissions than
competing solutions, eliminating the need for costly shielding.
The Si80xx digital isolator architecture incorporates a transmitter and
a receiver separated by a CMOS-based isolation barrier. The Si80xx
isolators use a high-frequency internal oscillator on the transmitter to
modulate digital input signals across the capacitive isolation barrier.
On the receiver side, these signals are demodulated back to the
corresponding digital output signals, which are electrically isolated
from the input. This simple, elegant architecture provides a robust data
path requiring no special considerations or initialization at start-up.
The transmitter consists of an input stage that latches in data from up
to six asynchronous channels, followed by a serializer stage where the
data is compressed into serial data packets coupled across the
capacitive isolation barrier. The receiver consists of a demodulator
block that converts the modulated signal back into serial data packets
that are deserialized and latched to the output.
The Si80xx isolators deliver 10 Mbps data rates across a wide
temperature range (-40 to 125 ºC), as well as low power operation of
approximately 2 mA per channel (5x lower than optocoupler alternatives)
for energy-efficient system design. The Si80xx family's robust digital
isolation architecture ensures that signal integrity is maintained even
while operating at high data rates and at high temperatures in harsh
environments.
"Silicon Labs' new Si80xx digital isolators are a perfect fit for
high-volume, cost- and power-sensitive consumer electronics products
that require a combination of 1 kV functional isolation and higher
channel count," said Ross Sabolcik, vice president and general manager
of Analog, Power and Sensor products at Silicon Labs. "The Si80xx family
enables developers to upgrade their optocoupler-based applications with
a more reliable, power-efficient and higher-performance digital
isolation solution designed to reduce system cost and complexity."
Pricing and Availability
Samples and production quantities of the Si80xx digital isolators are
available now in compact 16-pin QSOP packages rated at 1 kV. Pricing for
the Si80xx devices in 10,000-unit quantities begins at $1.04 (USD).
Silicon Labs' Si80xxISO-KIT evaluation kit is available for $29 (USD
MSRP), providing an economical platform to evaluate the performance of
Si80xx isolators. For additional information about Silicon Labs' Si80xx
digital isolators and to purchase samples and development tools, please
visit www.silabs.com/isolation.
Silicon Labs
Silicon Labs 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.
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involve risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could
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statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or
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Silicon Labs
Dale Weisman, +1-512-532-5871
dale.weisman@silabs.com
or
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Oliver Davies, +44 1225 470 000
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Source: Silicon Labs
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