Nexperia optimizes its Zener diode portfolio to address overshoot and noise

     Nexperia has announced two optimizations to its extensive Zener diode portfolio to eliminate undesirable overshoot and noise behavior, a significant advance in Zener technology. First, the new 50 µA Zener series diodes are available in B-selection (Vz +/-2%), Vz ranges from 1.8 V to 51 V, and are available in standard and automotive versions. This makes them ideal for automotive applications, such as on-board chargers for electric vehicles (EVs), as well as a wide range of industrial and consumer applications, such as universal computing units, battery management systems, device chargers, and smartwatches.

     Nexperia's new family of 50 µA devices now offers full Zener functionality even at high voltages (up to 75 V). They are designed to completely eliminate noise and overswing, a common feature of many Zener diodes that have caused application failures in the past. These devices are available in small-size packages including SOT23, SOD323, SOD523, and SOD123F, as well as DFN1006BD-2 and DFN1006-2 with or without side wettable pads (SWF). There are significant advantages to having SWF included, including highly reliable automated optical inspection (AOI) of solder joint quality and enhanced solder joint robustness, which enhances the combination with the PCB compared to devices without SWF.

     In addition, Nexperia addresses overshoot and noise issues in its existing family of general-purpose PZU Zener diodes. This will give engineers greater flexibility for applications such as supply voltage stabilization, sensor or supply voltage comparison, and gate and avalanche breakdown protection for MOSFETs. The PZU series is available in SOD323, SOD323F, SOT23, DFN1006BD-2 and DFN1006-2 (2.4V-51V) packages, both in automotive and standard versions. This provides designers with a viable alternative for critical applications where more sensitive Zener diode "inflection points" are required, or where standard Zener diodes may experience noise and overswing behavior.