Tuning its proprietary iCoupler® digital isolation technology to meet the reliability and quality needs of emerging electric- hybrid vehicles, Analog Devices 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.

The two-channel, three-channel and four-channel digital isolators are based on Analog Devices’ proprietary iCoupler chip-scale micro-transformer technology. These new automotive products provide multiple isolation channels in a variety of channel configurations and data rates up to 25Mbps. The CMOSbased 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 longterm 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.

The 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 packages.