Irvine, CA (PRNewswire). Toshiba America Electronic Components Inc. (TAEC) has added two mid-voltage products, the 100V TLP3823 with a 3-A drive current and the 200-V TLP3825 with a 1.5-A drive current, to its lineup of large-current photorelays. The new products can be used to replace mechanical relays in applications including industrial equipment, general-purpose inverters, HVAC, thermostats, building-automation equipment, and semiconductor testers. The new photorelays are housed in 8-pin DIPs and are available with both gull-wing (SMD) and wider creepage options.
The rate at which photorelays are being used to replace mechanical relays has accelerated in recent years, Toshiba said, adding that it is supporting and promoting this shift by applying its latest trench MOSFET process technology – 8th generation UMOS—to enable output currents that exceed 1 A. Unlike mechanical relays, photorelays have no physical contacts subject to wear and tear, an advantage that can lead to greater product reliability. The use of photorelays also supports the development of smaller and thinner products. Toshiba’s new photorelays also offer the advantage of a guaranteed pulsed on-state current that is three times larger than that of a continuous on-state current, ensuring a bigger margin for design safety.