Automotive-Qualified Gate Drive Optocoupler for Hybrid and Electric Vehicles

Increasing consumer demand for hybrid and electrical vehicles with more powerful engines has car makers and their suppliers seeking more robust gate drive optocouplers to help drive higher-capacity engines, as well as battery charger and DC-DC converter systems. Last week at Electronica Avago Technologies introduced a new 2.5A automotive-grade optocoupler with extended temperature operation designated the ACPL-38JT.

Qualified to AEC-Q100 Grade 1 stress test requirements, the ACPL-38JT incorporates a complete Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) driver for signal switching, along with desaturation detection and fault status feedback systems for signal protection. The device, part of the Avago R²Coupler family of optocouplers offers reinforced insulation for reliable signal isolation, which is critical in automotive and high-temperature industrial applications such as isolated IGBT/power Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) gate drives, industrial inverters, AC and brushless DC motor drives, and uninterruptable power supplies.

The Avago ACPL-38JT automotive gate drive optocouplers are priced at (US)$4.15 in 10,000 unit quantities