Analog Devices Introduces Industry’s First Digital Isolators Qualified For Automotive Systems

New iCoupler® digital isolators are AEC-Q100 qualified for +125°C operation to meet stringent quality and reliability requirements for electric-hybrid vehicles.

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Norwood, MA(5/19/2008) - Tuning its proprietary iCoupler® digital isolation technology to meet the reliability and quality needs of emerging electric-hybrid vehicles, Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) is introducing a family of digital isolators designed to operate in today’s electrically challenging automotive environment. Unlike the relatively low-voltage signals powering most in-car entertainment, safety, and power train systems, hybrid-vehicle batteries can operate at voltages in excess of 600 V, which creates a need to galvanically isolate system-critical electronics. Analog Devices’ new ADuM120xW, ADuM130xW and ADuM140xW digital isolators were developed for electric-hybrid vehicle systems, such as motor drives and battery management systems. These new iCoupler products are the first digital isolators to carry an AEC-Q100 qualified –40°C to +125°C automotive temperature rating.

“Until today, the only isolation available for hybrid car and truck batteries was in the form of optocouplers, which are notorious for being difficult to manage and operate at temperatures over 105°C,” said Robbie McAdam, vice president, Analog Semiconductor Components Division, Analog Devices. “In an application where fuel economy and battery capacity are everything, ADI’s digital isolators not only remove the limitations of optocouplers, they do so at 90 percent less power consumption.”

About the ADuM1xxxW Digital Isolators
The two-channel ADuM120xW, three-channel ADuM130xW and four-channel ADuM140xW digital isolators are based on Analog Devices’ proprietary iCoupler chip-scale micro-transformer technology that has been used in more than 150 million channels of isolation shipped into a wide array of applications including industrial, medical, power supply, and consumer systems. These new automotive products provide multiple isolation channels in a variety of channel configurations and data rates up to 25 Mbps. The CMOS-based parts operate with the supply voltage on either side ranging from 3.0 V to 5.5 V, providing compatibility with lower voltage systems as well as enabling voltage translation across the isolation barrier.

Unlike alternative isolation technologies such as optocouplers, which suffer from performance degradation and wear-out at high temperatures, iCoupler digital isolators are relatively insensitive to temperature and demonstrate excellent long-term reliability. Because iCoupler products have a digital interface, there is no need for external signal conditioning components, and they consume one-tenth to one-sixth the power of optocouplers at comparable signal data rates.

Analog Devices in Automotive
With over 40 years of signal processing experience, Analog Devices helps automotive design engineers maximize auto safety, comfort, and convenience for drivers. Combined with an uncompromising commitment to component quality, ADI focuses its support on the measurement, control, and digital processing challenges of safety, infotainment, powertrain, and body/chassis electronic system designs in automobiles worldwide.

Pricing and Availability
The ADuM120xW, ADuM130xW and ADuM140xW digital isolators are available now for sampling and volume production. The new digital isolators are available in 8-lead narrow-body or 16-lead wide-body SOIC (small-outline integrated circuit) packages and are priced starting at $0.55 per channel in OEM quantities. For more information, visit www.analog.com/pr/ADuM120xW, www.analog.com/pr/ADuM130xW, and www.analog.com/pr/ADuM140xW.

About Analog Devices
Innovation, performance, and excellence are the cultural pillars on which Analog Devices has built one of the longest standing, highest growth companies within the technology sector. Acknowledged industry-wide as the world leader in data conversion and signal conditioning technology, Analog Devices serves over 60,000 customers, representing virtually all types of electronic equipment. Celebrating over 40 years as a leading global manufacturer of high-performance integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing applications, Analog Devices is headquartered in Norwood, Massachusetts, with design and manufacturing facilities throughout the world. Analog Devices' common stock is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker “ADI” and is included in the S&P 500 Index.

¹iCoupler is a registered trademark of Analog Devices, Inc.

Editor's Contact Information:

Howard Wisniowski

781-937-1517

howard.wisniowski@analog.com

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