Agilent Technologies Inc. claims its military-specified hermetically sealed, IGBT/MOSFET gate-drive optocouplers, designed for motor-control inverter and uninterruptible power-supply applications in critical defense and aerospace equipment, is the industry first. The devices are supplied in rugged, hermetically sealed ceramic packages capable of operation over the full military temperature range of -55°C to +125°C, and storage from -65°C to +150°C.

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"Until now, mil-standard hermetically sealed gate-drive optocouplers were not available," said Tze Siong Chong, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Isolation Products Division. "Our new optocouplers save board space by eliminating the need to combine an HVIC with a separate isolation device to create a total IGBT/MOSFET gate-drive solution."

The optocouplers may be purchased as either commercial-grade products, with full MIL-PRF-38534 Class H testing, or from the Defense Supply Center Columbus (DSCC) Standard Microcircuit Drawings (SMDs).

Agilent's HCPL-5120 (commercial)/HCPL-5121 (Class H) and HCPL-5150 (commercial)/HCPL-5151 (Class H) gate-drive optocouplers are supplied in 8-pin, 300-mil hermetic dual-inline packages with a variety of lead forms suitable for through-hole and surface mounting. All are manufactured and tested on a MIL-PRF-38534 certified line and are included in the DSCC Qualified Manufacturers List, QML-38534, for hybrid microcircuits.

The HCPL-512x and HCPL-515x devices contain a GaAsP infrared LED optically coupled to an integrated circuit with a power output stage. The high operating voltage range of the output stage provides the drive voltages required by gate-controlled devices. The voltage and current supplied by these optocouplers makes them suited for directly driving IGBTs with ratings up to 1200 V/50 A (HCPL-515x) and up to 1200 V/100 A (HCPL-512x). For IGBTs with higher ratings, these devices can be used to drive a discrete power stage, which drives the IGBT gate. The optocouplers also feature under-voltage lockout protection (UVLO) with hysteresis to prevent damage to the motor drive.

The commercial versions of the Agilent hermetic gate-drive optocouplers are priced between $65 and $100 each in low-volume quantities. The Class H versions are priced between $75 and $115 each. They are available now through Agilent's worldwide distribution partners.