Vishay's New Phototriacs Provide dV/dt Greater Than 5 kV/µs

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — November 18, 2005 — Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. (NYSE: VSH) today announced a new line of phototriacs that feature a trigger of 1.6 mA, lower than any other supplier, and a static dV/dt greater than 5 kV/µs. Encased in a 6-pin DIP package, the new zero-crossing (ZC) and non-zero-crossing (NZC) phototriac optocouplers are designed for switching AC loads and driving larger SCRs or TRIACs in industrial applications.

The new ZC VO4157 and VO4158 series phototriacs consist of a GaAs infrared LED that is optically coupled to a photosensitive ZC TRIAC detector chip. This design type helps to reduce EMI noise harmonics while featuring lower peak operating currents, making it well suited for noise sensitive circuits. Devices in the VO4257 and VO4258 series of NZC phototriacs, on the other hand, have the advantage of being able to trigger any time during the ac phase cycle and turn off at the next zero crossing. This makes the NZC devices an ideal choice for many phase modulation applications.

Both families have very low trigger currents of 1.6 mA, making it possible to directly interface with microcontrollers and digital circuits. Trigger currents of 2.0 mA and 3.0 mA are also available. All three versions are offered in 700-V and 800-V blocking voltages and can provide isolation for low-voltage logic for 120-V, 240-V, and 380-V AC lines to control resistive, inductive, or capacitive loads.

The following table summarizes the characteristics of all 12 versions of the VO415x and VO425x phototriac optocouplers:

The new phototriacs feature reinforced insulation per IEC60950 2.10.5.1. Their target applications include solid-state relays, AC motor drives/triac drives, switching power supplies, programmable controllers, temperature controls, and solenoid/valve controls in industrial products.

Samples of the new VO4157/8 and VO4257/8 phototriacs are available now. Production quantities have a lead-time of six to eight weeks.

Vishay Intertechnology, Inc., a Fortune 1,000 Company listed on the NYSE (VSH), is one of the world's largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors (diodes, rectifiers, transistors, and optoelectronics and selected ICs) and passive electronic components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, sensors, and transducers). These components are used in virtually all types of electronic devices and equipment, in the industrial, computing, automotive, consumer, telecommunications, military, aerospace, and medical markets. Its product innovations, successful acquisition strategy, and ability to provide "one-stop shop" service have made Vishay a global industry leader. Vishay can be found on the Internet at http://www.vishay.com.