Digital optocouplers deliver wide temperature requirements for today's industrial applications

The trend in the industrial market is moving toward components that can operate in high temperatures as systems become more sophisticated and integrated in the harsh operating environments found in industrial applications. With the growing number of electrical components being embedded into industrial applications, isolation plays a key role in the optimal performance, as well as the electrical safety and integrity of industrial equipment.



To address this requirement, Avago Technologies launched three high-temperature, high-speed digital optocouplers which are the first in the industry for use in industrial applications. These wide temperature optocouplers, which are housed in a five-pin surface mount package, have been designed to operate over a wide range of temperatures from -40ºC to 125ºC, making them extremely reliable and ideal for use in applications that operate in harsh industrial environments. These optocouplers feature speeds ranging from one megabaud (1MBd) to 10MBd.



These latest additions include a 1MBd (megabaud) single-channel digital optocoupler (ACPL-M43U), a 10MBd logic gate optocoupler (ACPL-M61U), and an intelligent power module optocoupler that includes an aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs) layer optically coupled to an integrated high gain photo detector (ACPL-M46U). These high-speed digital optocouplers are low-power and high common mode transient rate (CMR) components that provide immunity to transient noises, EMI and ground loop eliminations. The ACPL-M43U, M46U and M61U optocouplers are compliant to most industrial safety standards such as IEC/EN/DIN EN 60747-5-2, UL 1577 and CSA.



The SO-5 JEDEC registered (MO-155) package outline offers space-savings in the printed circuit board and has a footprint that is approximately one-fourth the area of a standard dual-in-line package. The lead profile is designed to be compatible with standard surface mount processes.The difference between the ACPL-M43U and M46U is that the M46U offers excellent propagation delay difference that allows the circuit designer to reduce switching dead time to improve inverter efficiency. These extended temperature IPM optocouplers are ideal for use in battery management systems, motor control, isolated IGBT/MOSFET gate drives, AC and brushless DC motors, and industrial inverters for power supplies.



The 10MBd optocoupler targets industrial communications interface applications. Its optically coupled gates combined with a AlGaAs light emitting diode and integrated high gain photo detector, are ideal for use with most industrial communication interfaces (such as RS232, RS485, CANBus, etc.), high temperature digital signal isolation, microcontroller interfaces, and digital isolation for A/D and D/A conversion. The optocouplers feature very high common mode rejection min 10kV/μs at V_CM = 1,500V (V_CM = 1,000V for ACPL-M61U) and auto insertable SO5 packages. They are also compact and RoHS-compliant.