Ultra-low capacitance TVS diode for ESD protection of antennas

Toshiba Electronics Europe GmbH has released an ultra-low capacitance TVS diode. The product will serve a useful function in shielding electronic components such as semiconductors from static electricity and noise whilst suppressing signal quality deterioration within high-frequency antennas utilised for electronic equipment. The new product will be employed in a wide range of electronic equipment, including mobile devices.

The new DF2B6M4BSL TVS diode provides a total capacitance of only 0.12pF (0.15pF max.), which is the lowest for any of the company's devices representing an (approximate) 25% reduction in capacitance when compared to the existing Toshiba product (DF2B6M4ASL).

Within high-frequency antennas for radio communications such as Wi-Fi, the original signal quality must be maintained by avoiding any harmonic distortion generated by the added TVS diode capacitance. The new device with its ultra-low capacitance produces a fast response in suppressing high voltage spikes with no effect on the original data signal quality.

When the device is used at 5GHz, a common frequency in Wi-Fi applications, with a 20dBm input, the second harmonic is -64.7dB while the third is -55.5dB. The device is, therefore, ideal for ESD protection of high-frequency antennas.