Analog Devices Introduces Industry's First Digital Isolators Qualified for Automotive...

Analog Devices Introduces Industry's First Digital Isolators Qualified for Automotive Systems

New iCoupler(R) digital isolators are AEC-Q100 qualified for
+125(degree)C operation to meet stringent quality and reliability
requirements for electric-hybrid vehicles
NORWOOD, Mass.--(Business Wire)--
Tuning its proprietary iCoupler(R) digital isolation technology to
meet the reliability and quality needs of emerging electric-hybrid
vehicles, Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) is introducing a family of
digital isolators designed to operate in today's electrically
challenging automotive environment. Unlike the relatively low-voltage
signals powering most in-car entertainment, safety, and power train
systems, hybrid-vehicle batteries can operate at voltages in excess of
600 V, which creates a need to galvanically isolate system-critical
electronics. Analog Devices' new ADuM120xW, ADuM130xW and ADuM140xW
digital isolators were developed for electric-hybrid vehicle systems,
such as motor drives and battery management systems. These new
iCoupler products are the first digital isolators to carry an AEC-Q100
qualified -40(degree)C to +125(degree)C automotive temperature rating.

"Until today, the only isolation available for hybrid car and
truck batteries was in the form of optocouplers, which are notorious
for being difficult to manage and operate at temperatures over
105(degree)C," said Robbie McAdam, vice president, Analog
Semiconductor Components Division, Analog Devices. "In an application
where fuel economy and battery capacity are everything, ADI's digital
isolators not only remove the limitations of optocouplers, they do so
at 90 percent less power consumption."

About the ADuM1xxxW Digital Isolators

The two-channel ADuM120xW, three-channel ADuM130xW and
four-channel ADuM140xW digital isolators are based on Analog Devices'
proprietary iCoupler chip-scale micro-transformer technology that has
been used in more than 150 million channels of isolation shipped into
a wide array of applications including industrial, medical, power
supply, and consumer systems. These new automotive products provide
multiple isolation channels in a variety of channel configurations and
data rates up to 25 Mbps. The CMOS-based parts operate with the supply
voltage on either side ranging from 3.0 V to 5.5 V, providing
compatibility with lower voltage systems as well as enabling voltage
translation across the isolation barrier.

Unlike alternative isolation technologies such as optocouplers,
which suffer from performance degradation and wear-out at high
temperatures, iCoupler digital isolators are relatively insensitive to
temperature and demonstrate excellent long-term reliability. Because
iCoupler products have a digital interface, there is no need for
external signal conditioning components, and they consume one-tenth to
one-sixth the power of optocouplers at comparable signal data rates.

Analog Devices in Automotive

With over 40 years of signal processing experience, Analog Devices
helps automotive design engineers maximize auto safety, comfort, and
convenience for drivers. Combined with an uncompromising commitment to
component quality, ADI focuses its support on the measurement,
control, and digital processing challenges of safety, infotainment,
powertrain, and body/chassis electronic system designs in automobiles
worldwide.

Pricing and Availability

The ADuM120xW, ADuM130xW and ADuM140xW digital isolators are
available now for sampling and volume production. The new digital
isolators are available in 8-lead narrow-body or 16-lead wide-body
SOIC (small-outline integrated circuit) packages and are priced
starting at $0.55 per channel in OEM quantities. For more information,
visit www.analog.com/pr/ADuM120xW, www.analog.com/pr/ADuM130xW, and
www.analog.com/pr/ADuM140xW.

About Analog Devices

Innovation, performance, and excellence are the cultural pillars
on which Analog Devices has built one of the longest standing, highest
growth companies within the technology sector. Acknowledged
industry-wide as the world leader in data conversion and signal
conditioning technology, Analog Devices serves over 60,000 customers,
representing virtually all types of electronic equipment. Celebrating
over 40 years as a leading global manufacturer of high-performance
integrated circuits used in analog and digital signal processing
applications, Analog Devices is headquartered in Norwood,
Massachusetts, with design and manufacturing facilities throughout the
world. Analog Devices' common stock is listed on the New York Stock
Exchange under the ticker "ADI" and is included in the S&P 500 Index.
http://www.analog.com

iCoupler is a registered trademark of Analog Devices, Inc.

Analog Devices, Inc.
Howard Wisniowski, 781-937-1517
howard.wisniowski@analog.com
or
Porter Novelli
Andrew MacLellan, 617-897-8200
andrew.maclellan@porternovelli.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008