Digital isolators 'outperform optocouplers' in consumer electronics applications

Based on the company's patented CMOS based digital isolation technology, the Si80xx series is said to offer higher reliability and longer lifespan compared to existing optocouplers on the market. The devices also offer significant electromagnetic emissions and immunity performance advantages - simplifying system design, reducing cost and easing electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) compliance challenges. SiLabs claims the devices have up to 20dB lower electromagnetic emissions than competing solutions. Their architecture incorporates a transmitter and a receiver separated by a CMOS based isolation barrier, adn they use a high frequency internal oscillator on the transmitter to modulate digital input signals across the capacitive isolation barrier. On the receiver side, these signals are demodulated back to the corresponding digital output signals, which are electrically isolated from the input. The transmitter consists of an input stage that latches in data from up to six asynchronous channels, followed by a serialiser stage where the data is compressed into serial data packets coupled across the capacitive isolation barrier. The receiver consists of a demodulator block that converts the modulated signal back into serial data packets that are deserialised and latched to the output. The isolators deliver 10Mb/s data rates across a temperature range of -40 to 125ºC, as well as low power operation of approximately 2mA per channel. Signal integrity is maintained even while operating at high data rates and at high temperatures in harsh environments.