Zener diode portfolio addresses overswing and noise phenomena

Nexperia has announced two enhancements to its extensive Zener diode portfolio that eradicate undesirable overswing and noise behaviour – making a major advancement in Zener technology. Firstly, standard and automotive-qualified variants supply the new 50µA-Zener series with B-selection (Vz +/-2%) and Vz ranging from 1.8V to 51V. It makes them excellent for automotive applications like onboard chargers in EVs as well as for a broad range of industrial and consumer applications like general-purpose computing units, battery management systems, device chargers and smartwatches.

Nexperia’s new series of 50 µA devices now deliver full Zener functionality even at high voltages (up to 75 V). They have been designed to eliminate the noise and overswing phenomena, common features of many Zener diodes that have previously led to application failures. These devices are available in small footprint packages, including SOT23, SOD323, SOD523, and SOD123F, as well as DFN1006BD-2 and DFN1006-2 with or without SWF. The inclusion of SWF offers significant advantages, including highly reliable AOI of solder joint quality and enhanced robustness of solder joints, improving the bond to the PCB compared to devices without SWF.

Also, the company addresses overswing and noise concerns in its existing family of general-purpose PZU Zeners. This will provide engineers with greater flexibility for applications like supply voltage stabilisation and comparison of sensor or supply voltages, as well as providing gate and avalanche breakdown protection for MOSFETs. The PZU family is available in SOD323, SOD323F, SOT23, DFN1006BD-2 and DFN1006-2 (2.4V-51V) packages and in automotive and standard versions. It provides designers with a viable alternative for critical applications that demand a sharper Zener ‘knee’ or where standard Zeners may show noise and overswing behaviour.