Automotive industry’s first 10BASE-T1S OPEN Alliance-compliant ESD protection diodes

Nexperia releases the industry’s first ESD protection diodes to comply with the OPEN Alliance requirements for use in 10BASE-T1S automotive Ethernet applications.

The exceptionally low capacitance (0.4 pF) of these diodes means they can also be used to protect higher speed applications deploying 100BASE-T1 or 1000BASE-T1 in-vehicle networks while still maintaining excellent signal integrity. These diodes offer a single line ESD protection solution with up to 18kV, according to IEC 61000-4-2, and up to 15kV with 1000 discharges, as per OPEN Alliance. These devices are covering the full range of automotive board net voltages including 12V typically found in cars; 24V for trucks and larger commercial vehicles; and 48V in hybrid and electric cars.

High-bandwidth 100BASE-T1 and 1000BASE-T1 automotive Ethernet networks are playing a key role in advancing automotive connectivity and electrification but many legacy in-vehicle applications operate at lower speeds and are still implemented using older connectivity standards like CAN and LIN. Interfacing these applications to higher speed automotive Ethernet networks introduces unnecessary complexity and cost so replacing them with 10BASE-T1S makes sense. This approach allows a single network architecture (automotive Ethernet) to serve the speed requirements of almost every automotive application.

Now automotive subsystem manufacturers will be able to use a single ESD protection diode, the PESD1ETH10L-Q or PESD1ETH10LS-Q, to protect all automotive Ethernet applications against the harmful effects of electrostatic discharge, thus simplifying their board designs and supply chains.

The OPEN Alliance (One-Pair Ether-Net) is a non-profit group of automotive manufacturers, technology providers, and suppliers working to establish Ethernet-based networks as the standard for in-vehicle networking. Founded in 2011, the alliance fosters collaboration across the industry to support open access to specifications and advance automotive connectivity.

The PESD1ETH10L-Q is available in a DFN1006-2 package measuring 1.0mm x 0.6mm x 0.48mm while the PESD1ETH10LS-Q is available in DFN1006BD-2 measuring 1.0mm x 0.6mm x 0.37mm with side-wettable flanks to enable automated optical inspection (AOI) in applications that require higher levels of soldering reliability.