New Industry Products

Semtech Debuts Its LC03-3.3 Surge Protection Device

June 04, 2000 by Jeff Shepard

Semtech Corp. (Newbury Park, CA) announced availability of the new LC03-3.3 surge-protection device for 10/100 Ethernet interfaces. These devices provide a low-cost, standards-compliant solution for lightning, ESD and EFT events in telecom and datacom systems, according to Semtech.

The device uses Semtech's patented Enhanced Punch-Through Diode (EPDTVS) technology to low capacitance, clamping voltage and leakage current at operating voltages as low as 3.3V, allowing the LC03-3.3 to be used on high-speed Ethernet lines without appreciable signal degradation. It also provides protection for a single line pair, and combines a TVS diode with a rectifier bridge to provide voltage transient protection in both common (line-to-ground) and differential (line-to-line) mode.

"Although Semtech has been shipping EPDTVS devices for low-voltage ESD protection for many months," said Tom Dugan, director of marketing for protection products at Semtech, "the LC03-3.3 is the first device scaled to meet the higher energy lightning requirements. This has become very significant since almost all new telecom systems, including Optical and SONET systems, use Ethernet as their control ports."

Samples of the LC03-3.3 are available immediately in quantities of 10,000 units or more, priced at $2.48 each. The LC03-3.3 is sold in a standard JEDEC SO-8 package.