 NVE Isolators Beat Silicon Labs
on EMC, Size, Reliability, and Distortion NVE IsoLoop advantages over Silicon Labs isolators are summarized below:
No Radio Station On Your Board NVE Isolators have a best-in-class radiated emissions, and fully comply with EMC standards such as EN50081 and EN50082-1. Silicon Labs claims high electromagnetic immunity without citing standards, and leaves you on your own to figure out how to shield your other electronics from their modulated carrier RF transmitters or meet emissions standards. NVE isolators have orders of magnitude less radiated emissions. Half the Size NVE offers packages as small as MSOP-8s—half the footprint of Silicon Labs’ smallest package. NVE also offers SOICs and PDIPs if you need them. A Better Barrier A unique ceramic/polymer barrier gives NVE a best-in-class 6 kV isolation rating compared to Silicon Labs’ 5 kV, more than double the surge voltage rating, and a barrier resistance at least 100 times better. That means durability in harsh environments and easier agency compliance. Longer Life Silicon Labs seems proud to claim their product life is longer than optos. Even that modest claim depends on derating the operating voltage because they use an oxide barrier, which is susceptible to diffusion. They specify a working life of 60 years, but that’s at well below the rated voltage, and even then there’s a statistical chance any device will fail much sooner. At rated voltage the expected lifetime is only a few DAYS. NVE isolators use real “line in the sand” ceramic/polymer barriers with 100 times the insulation resistance of Silicon Labs barriers. NVE’s endurance voltage specification is supported by a predicted failure rate of one part in 44000 years. That’s practically forever. Half the Jitter Jitter is critical for isolating high speed DACs and ADCs, since any clock jitter directly limits dynamic range and precision. NVE’s IL700 Isolators offer 100 ps jitter, compared to 250 ps to 350 ps for Silicon Labs. Other signal distortion specifications such as pulse-width distortion are also better for NVE parts. No “Startup Time” Problems with Silicon Labs parts include things like “startup time.” NVE devices are elgantly engineered and straightforward to use. We don’t think you should have to wait for your isolator to boot. NVE’s Proven Reliability and Stable Supply Silicon Labs is already obsoleting their flagship Si84xx series, which are “Not Recommended for New Designs,” leaving their customers to requalify new parts (some saw an opportunity to switch to NVE parts). Si84xx isolators are notoriously susceptable to noise, and the new parts appear not much better. NVE revolutionized the industry with the first optocoupler replacement in 2000 and we’re still the leaders. Our devices are proven in years of demanding applications. At some companies products come and go. At NVE, isolators are our obsession. Our parts are in it for the long term, and so are we. <Questions or Comments> |
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