Surface Mount Optocoupler October 2004

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The FODB100 Microcoupler™ from Fairchild Semiconductor is said to be the first single-channel optocoupler with a transistor output housed in a ball grid array (BGA) package. The device is designed for consumer electronics products such as chargers, adapters, set-top boxes, and appliances, as well as industrial applications such as power supplies and motor controls.

The optocoupler’s small package size (3.5 by 3.5 mm) and low profile (1.20-mm max mounted height), combined with a wide operating temperature range of -40°C to +125°C, are said to meet the demanding requirements of consumer and industrial products. The single-channel device consists of an aluminum gallium arsenide IR LED driving a silicon phototransistor. Featuring high isolation (2,500 Vrms for 1 sec) and high current transfer ratio at low input current levels, the company says the optocoupler is designed for conventional voltage isolation in power system feedback circuits and for isolating signals in high-voltage, electrically noisy environments.

The lead-free product is said to meet the requirements for the joint IPC/JEDEC standard J-STD-020B and is compliant with the European Union requirements, which will go into affect in 2005. UL and VDE safety approvals are pending.

Fairchild Semiconductor