Solid-state relays (SSRs) are crucial components in a diverse range of control and power switching applications, spanning white goods, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment, industrial process control, aerospace, and medical systems. Solid-state isolators utilize coreless transformer technology to provide isolation between the high-voltage and low-voltage sides of an SSR. CT-based solid-state isolators (SSIs) […]
Isolators
What are the design considerations when using solid state isolators in PLCs?
Solid state isolators (SSIs) can be an effective tool for providing isolation for programmable logic controllers (PLCs). When using SSIs in PLCs, several important considerations come into play to ensure optimal performance, reliability, and safety. This article briefly reviews the applications for SSIs in PLCs, looks at safety system architecture options, and reviews the technology […]
What are the performance standards for solid state isolators?
Solid state isolators (SSIs) use coreless transformers (CTs) to provide electrical isolation between circuits while supporting power and signal connections. Isolation supports safety, noise immunity, reliability, and other performance benefits. This article briefly compares SSIs with alternative technologies used in solid state relays (SSRs) and reviews international standards for operating lifetime and isolation performance. Some […]
What are the advantages of solid-state isolators compared with optical SSRs?
Optically isolated solid-state relays (SSRs) (also called optocouplers or photovoltaic relays) were developed to overcome some of the performance limitations of electromechanical relays. While they can support a larger number of switching cycles, the LED in an optical SSR degrades over time, ultimately limiting the lifetime of the device. Capacitive and inductive-based isolation technologies were […]
AEC-Q100 compliant isolators offer enhanced EOS resilience for battery management systems
NOVOSENSE Microelectronics has introduced a new line of third-generation digital isolators for automotive applications. The NSI83xx series uses capacitive isolation technology and is engineered for use in high-frequency switching environments that employ silicon carbide (SiC) devices. These isolators feature enhanced resilience against electrical overstress (EOS) and are designed to reduce susceptibility to power noise, which […]
Quad-channel digital isolators for automotive and industrial applications
Modern electronic systems in automotive and industrial applications require robust, efficient, and precise data communication capabilities to ensure optimal performance. To meet these needs, Infineon Technologies AG is introducing its ISOFACE quad-channel digital isolators, emphasizing a broader portfolio of isolation technologies. The ISOFACE quad-channel digital isolators are available in two categories. The ISOFACE 4DIRx4xxHA family […]
What are edge-based and OOK digital isolator architectures?
Edge-based and on-off-keying (OOK) are common communication architectures used in digital isolators. The choice between the two involves tradeoffs, mostly in data rates versus power consumption. Depending on the implementation, there can also be tradeoffs related to noise and transient response and common mode transient immunity (CMTI). This FAQ reviews how edge-based and OOK architecture […]
How does digital isolation contribute to sustainability?
In general, digital isolation can be implemented using capacitive, giant magneto restrictive (GMR), and magnetic technologies. The digitally isolated gate drivers used to drive silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) devices plus silicon power MOSFETs and IGBTs in green energy systems like electric vehicles (EVs) and solar inverters mostly rely on magnetic isolation techniques, […]
What’s a digitally isolated transceiver?
Digitally isolated transceivers are available for industrial applications, electric vehicles, satellites, communications, data processing, and medical systems. They are available for specific protocols like control area network (CAN), RS-485, RS-422, and RS-232, serial peripheral interface (SPI), I2C, low-voltage differential signaling (LVDS), and others. Some support multiple protocols. They can have a single channel or multiple […]
What technologies are used for digital isolators?
There are three main technologies used for digital isolators, capacitive, magnetic, and giant magnetoresistive (GMR). This FAQ briefly looks at capacitive designs (they are covered in more detail in “What is a capacitive digital isolator”), then digs deeper into magnetic and GMR devices. Capacitive digital isolators use two CMOS dies connected with a capacitive isolation […]
