Littelfuse introduces transient suppression diode arrays with high surge tolerance

     Littelfuse announced the launch of a family of Transient Suppression Diode Arrays (SPA diodes) designed to protect the DC wires of PoweredUSB interfaces from damaging electrostatic discharge (ESD) damage. The SP11xx series transient suppression diode array uses Zener diodes manufactured with proprietary silicon avalanche technology to protect every input/output pin in the interface.

     This powerful device has high surge tolerance, the highest surge density per square millimeter of any Littelfuse transient suppression diode array, and extremely low dynamic resistance at all relevant voltage levels of the PoweredUSB interface. It can safely absorb repeated ESD shocks of ±30kV without performance degradation, and safely dissipate 80A 8/20μs inrush current at very low clamping voltages.

     The SP11xx series transient suppression diode array limits the fast transients associated with plugging in AC/DC converters that introduce dirty electricity into the battery, preventing premature damage or heating problems associated with fast-charging batteries for tablets and smartphones. It can also be used to protect Vbus lines with USB 3.1C interfaces, which are becoming more common in handheld devices.

     Other applications for SP11xx transient suppression diode arrays include ESD protection for switches/buttons, test equipment/meters, point-of-sale terminals, medical devices, laptops/desktops/servers, computer peripherals, and automotive electronics.

     "The SP11xx series will combine high surge tolerance for higher levels of ESD protection with extremely low dynamic resistance for faster response times." Says Tim Micun, business development manager for transient suppression diode Arrays at Littelfuse. "This product gives designers the flexibility to choose the focus of their application, whether it's size, cost or performance."