Nexperia ESD Protection Diodes for USB4 and Thunderbolt

Nexperia has recently unveiled a new series of five 1 V protection diodes tailored for AC-coupled RF transmission lines, with a focus on safeguarding USB4® and Thunderbolt™ interfaces from electrostatic discharge (ESD), surge currents, and short-circuit conditions. These ESD protection diodes are specifically designed to address the challenge of maintaining signal integrity in high-speed data transmission applications exceeding 10 GHz while providing robust protection.

For engineers and designers working on high-speed interface designs, these diodes offer a customized solution to strike a balance between RF performance and ESD robustness, especially in scenarios where PCB layout constraints can impact both protection levels and transmission quality.

Optimized for different PCB layouts

Among the offerings in this new series are the PESD1V0C1BSF and PESD1V0H1BSF diodes, which Nexperia states can be tailored to match specific PCB trace lengths and configurations. Stefan Seider, senior product manager at Nexperia, emphasized that the new series empowers designers to choose the most suitable device for their particular board layout, ensuring the highest level of protection. Additionally, the company can provide RF and SEED simulation models to aid in optimization.

When it comes to PCB layout, shorter traces between the transceiver IC and the protection device can reduce parasitic inductance but might compromise overall ESD robustness. On the other hand, longer traces can mitigate clamping issues but may introduce signal degradation. By offering a range of device options with different parameters, Nexperia enables designers to fine-tune their protection strategy without sacrificing RF performance.

High ESD robustness with minimal insertion loss

These diodes are engineered to withstand ESD events of up to ±18 kV and provide surge robustness of up to 9.6 A. With ultra-low capacitance as low as 0.1 pF, they minimize insertion loss (as low as –0.21 dB at 12.8 GHz) and prevent resonances up to 40 GHz.

Housed in the DSN0603-2 (SOD962-2) leadless package designed for ultra-low inductance, these diodes are well-suited for portable devices, communication systems, computing peripherals, and other applications where both board space and signal fidelity are crucial.

For further details on these innovative protection diodes, interested parties can visit the Nexperia product page to access additional information and specifications.