Power transistor rivals mosfet energy efficiency and form factor
The 3STL2540 from STMicroelectronics is said to combine the cost and silicon-area efficiencies of a bipolar transistor with energy efficiency similar to mosfets of comparable rating.
The device is a -40V/-5A PNP transistor capable of full saturation with maximum voltage drop of 200mV at only 10mA base current. It is optimised to achieve an equivalent on-resistance of only 90m?, which is close to the performance of comparable super logic level mosfets.
At the heart of the module is ST's advanced double-metal planar base island technology, which enables the 3STL2540 to maintain consistently high current gain (hFE) of at least 100 over a wide output-voltage range from 0.2 to 10V and a temperature range from -30 to 150°C.
The thermally efficient PowerFLAT package is only 0.6mm high with a 2 x 2mm footprint, enabling reliable, high performance power circuitry within minimal pc board space.
