Silicon Labs 5 kV digital isolators offer robust, reliable upgrade for traditional optocouplers

AUSTIN, USA: Silicon Laboratories Inc., a leader in high-performance, analog-intensive, mixed-signal ICs, introduced a line of 5 kV digital isolators designed to replace traditional optocouplers in harsh application environments and systems powered from universal mains supplies.

Silicon Labs’ new 5 kV Si84xx digital isolators provide a smaller, faster and more reliable isolation solution than optocouplers without the wear-out mechanisms, aging effects or temperature dependencies that plague optocoupler-based designs. They also offer best-in-class electromagnetic immunity among digital isolation solutions.

The 5 kV Si84xx digital isolators target industrial automation and drives, motor control and medical device applications that require robust operation and high levels of protection. The Si84xx digital isolators are also ideal for systems powered from 220 V mains supplies such as isolated ac-dc and dc-dc power supplies, solar power inverters, lighting systems, data communications, and test and measurement equipment.

Leveraging Silicon Labs’ patented architecture, the Si84xx digital isolators are designed to minimize data errors while enabling lower emissions than transformer-based isolation designs.

In addition to offering superior performance versus optocouplers, the Si84xx family’s robust RF architecture also outperforms competing digital isolator products, providing better electrostatic discharge (ESD) immunity, higher tolerance to electromagnetic noise, reduced jitter and more precise overall timing characteristics.

“With industry-leading electromagnetic field immunity and best-in-class RF emissions, the Si84xx digital isolators offer bullet-proof performance in the harshest operating environments,” said Mark Thompson, vice president of Embedded Mixed-Signal products at Silicon Labs. “The new 5 kV devices enable customers to replace their optocoupler-based designs with a more reliable, high-performance digital isolation solution.”