TOKYO, Japan, May 27, 2010 — Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723), a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, today introduced its new compact, slim photocoupler product, the PS2381-1, achieving the long creepage distance of 8 mm required by worldwide safety standards.
The new product is mounted in a 4-pin LSOP (long small outline package) in which the shortest distance between the LED (Light-Emitting Diode) side pin and the photo detector side pin along the package surface (the creepage distance) is 8 mm. This package achieves an insulation thickness of 0.4 mm, which is the shortest distance between the LED device and the photo detector device that are isolated within the package. In addition to these features, the new photocoupler is designed to provide package thickness of 2.3 mm, reduced by 40 percent from the existing 4-pin DIP (Dual-Inline package), and an operating ambient temperature of 115℃ as well as a guaranteed isolation voltage of 5,000 Vrms, maintaining the same voltage as the 4-pin DIP package.
A photocoupler is a semiconductor device that mounts both an LED device that converts an electrical signal to light in the input side and a photo detector device that converts light to an electrical signal in the output side in a single package. Since the signal is transmitted using light, a photocoupler completely isolates the input side from the output side. Therefore, photocouplers are used to protect electrical circuits between electrical equipment by isolating the input side from the output side, reducing noise, and are used in a wide variety of power supply circuits in TV game power supplies, cell phone chargers, office and factory automation equipments, and home appliances.
Of these applications, there is a growing demand for smaller and thinner TV game power supplies and cell phone chargers. To address this market demand, further miniaturization and thinner form factors in all types of electronic components, including photocouplers, are required. However, it had been impossible to assure electrical safety in terms of the creepage distance and the insulation thickness required by safety standards in other countries.
Renesas Electronics' new photocoupler overcomes these issues by increasing the distance between the LED and the photo detector, and by optimizing the size of the light-emitting element to maintain the current transfer ratio, which is the strength of the light received by the photo detector.
Renesas Electronics' new photocoupler also features an increased operating ambient temperature of 115℃ by optimizing materials. The new photocoupler also provides high insulation voltage of 5000 Vrms by adopting the highly-reliable double-molded structure used in existing photocoupler products. These features enable system designers to easily develop further miniaturized and thinner systems that comply with worldwide safety standards.
The main features of this new product are summarized below.
(1) Package thickness reduced by 40% from that of existing products, achieving a thinner form factor
The new photocoupler achieves an 8 mm creepage distance and a 0.4 mm isolation distance by adopting a structure in which the separation between the light-emitting and the photo detector devices is increased. The size of the light-emitting device is also optimized to maintain the current transfer ratio. Furthermore, the package thickness is 2.3 mm, a 40% reduction from the thickness of existing 4-pin DIP products. This makes it possible for system designers to develop even smaller and thinner systems that meet safety standards worldwide.
(2) Industry's first to achieve operating ambient temperature of 115℃ for a 4-pin LSOP
With lowered package thermal resistance and improved heat dissipation performance by changing the lead frame materials, the operating ambient temperature is increased to 115℃ even with the 4-pin LSOP miniature thin-form package, enabling system designers to develop more compact and thinner systems over a wide temperature range.
(3) Industry-leading high isolation voltage of 5,000 Vrms in a 4-pin LSOP package
The new photocoupler achieves industry leading high isolation voltage of 5000 Vrms by adopting the highly reliable double-molded structure used in existing photocoupler products, maintaining the current transfer ratio of the photocouplers, and assuring the insulation thickness between the LED and the photo detector devices.
Pricing and Availability
The new PS2381-1 photocoupler is currently available for samples priced at US$0.5 per unit. Mass production started today and is expected to reach 2,000,000 units per month from the fall of 2010.
(Pricing and availability are subject to change without notice.)
Please refer to the separate sheet for the main specifications of Renesas Electronics' new photocoupler.
About Renesas Electronics Corporation
Renesas Electronics Corporation (TSE: 6723) delivers trusted embedded design innovation with complete semiconductor solutions that enable billions of connected, intelligent devices to enhance the way people work and live. A global leader in microcontrollers, analog, power and SoC products, Renesas provides comprehensive solutions for a broad range of automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT applications that help shape a limitless future. Learn more at renesas.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
The content in the press release, including, but not limited to, product prices and specifications, is based on the information as of the date indicated on the document, but may be subject to change without prior notice.