Texas Instruments (United States) - Engineers can simplify high-temperature automotive designs while helping improve signal isolation and in-vehicle network performance with TI's new Grade 0 devices.

Texas Instruments (TI) (Nasdaq: TXN) introduced the industry’s first digital isolator that is qualified to the Grade 0 ambient operating temperature specification of the Automotive Electronics Council (AEC)-Q100 standard. The ISO7741E-Q1 features an industry-leading 1.5-kVRMS working voltage and supports temperatures up to the Grade 0 maximum of 150°C. The new isolator enables engineers to better protect low-voltage circuitry from high-voltage events in hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) and electric vehicle (EV) systems and avoid having to design in cooling systems to reduce temperatures to below 125°C – the maximum temperature Grade 1-qualified integrated circuits (ICs) can support.

In addition, when implementing Controller Area Network Flexible Data Rate (CAN FD) communications in system designs, engineers can increase in-vehicle network (IVN) signal protection and reach by using the ISO7741E-Q1 with the new TCAN1044EV-Q1 Grade 0 CAN FD transceiver.

High-temperature device operation increases design flexibility:

Grade 0-qualified ICs meet the requirements of the AEC-Q100’s highest temperature grade (-40°C to 150°C) and are designed to help engineers simplify design of HEV/EV systems in harsh environments, such as 48-V HEVs where the co-existence of internal combustion engines and battery systems can heat the air around ICs beyond 125°C. With reliable performance up to 150°C, TI’s new Grade 0 devices, the ISO7741E-Q1 and the TCAN1044EV-Q1, can be placed in high-temperature areas of HEV/EV systems without increasing bill of materials or design complexity.

To learn more about AEC-Q100 automotive temperature grades and why Grade 0 matters for IVN signal isolation, read the technical article, "Solving high-temperature isolation design challenges with Grade 0 digital isolators."

Highest isolation rating and high electromagnetic compatibility:

The ISO7741E-Q1 uses TI’s capacitive isolation technology to provide the industry’s highest working voltage of 1.5 kVRMS and an isolation voltage of 5 kVRMS, enabling engineers to achieve more reliable operation of HEV/EV powertrain and HVAC systems that require signal transmission across an isolation barrier, such as starter generators, cooling fans and traction inverters.

This device provides additional system-level protection in harsh automotive environments due to its high typical common-mode transient immunity of ±100 kV/µs and a ±8-kV International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61000-4-2 contact discharge protection.

Fast signal throughput for reliable IVN performance over longer distances:

By combining the ISO7741E-Q1 and the TCAN1044EV-Q1 in CAN FD bus designs, engineers can meet the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 11898-2:2016 timing standard for high-speed automotive communications, allowing for extended reach and reliability of signals across IVNs without diminishing data rates.

Package, availability and pricing:

The ISO7741E-Q1 Grade 0 digital isolator is available now from TI and authorized distributors in a 10.3-mm-by-7.5-mm, 16-pin small-outline integrated circuit (SOIC) package and is priced at US$1.49 in 1,000-unit quantities. Preproduction TCAN1044EV-Q1 Grade 0 CAN FD transceivers are available now, only from TI, in 4.9-mm-by-3.91-mm, 8-pin SOIC packages and are priced at US$0.43 in 1,000-unit quantities.

About Texas Instruments:

From connected cars and intelligent homes to self-monitoring health devices and automated factories, Texas Instruments Incorporated (TI) (Nasdaq: TXN) products are at work in virtually every type of electronic system. With operations in more than 30 countries, we engineer, manufacture, test and sell analog and embedded semiconductor chips. Our employees, about 30,000 worldwide, are driven by core values of integrity, innovation and commitment, and work every day to shape the future of technology.