Digital isolators qualified for automotive systems

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 600V, which creates a need to galvanically isolate system critical electronics. Analog Devices’ ADuM120xW, ADuM130xW and ADuM140xW digital isolators were developed for electric hybrid vehicle systems, such as motor drives and battery management systems. The iCoupler products are the first digital isolators to carry an AEC-Q100 qualified –40 to +125°C automotive temperature rating. The two channel ADuM120xW, three channel ADuM130xW and four channel ADuM140xW digital isolators are based on Analog Devices’ proprietary iCoupler chip scale microtransformer. These new automotive products provide multiple isolation channels in a variety of channel configurations and data rates up to 25Mbps. The CMOS based parts operate with the supply voltage on either side ranging from 3 to 5.5V, 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.