EL SEGUNDO, CA. May 2001 - International Rectifier, IR(r), (NYSE:IRF - news) today announced the expansion of their portfolio of hermetically-sealed, high reliability (hi-rel) HEXFRED(r) products, to include new 200V ultrafast recovery diodes with soft reverse recovery characteristics.

Power losses reduce with ultrafast recovery speeds, making power supplies more efficient, smaller, lighter, and more cost-effective.

In addition to typical high-reliability space and military applications, the new diodes may be used in moisture sensitive undersea fiber optic drivers and telecommunications routers, commercial avionic equipment and oil exploration applications.

The new HFB25xx20, HFB20xx20C, HFB60xx20 and HFB60xx20C diodes have current ratings up to 60A and are appropriate for power supplies with input voltages to 100V. (Note: ``xx'' refers to package type. For example, HFB25HJ20 is a 200V HEXFRED device in an SMD-0.5 package.) With a 200V rating, this diode family is ideally suited for space and high reliability design applications with bus voltages up to 100V, where 50% de-rating requirements are typically imposed.

Technical Details

The new devices are optimized for key reverse recovery time performance and reverse recovery softness. The soft recovery characteristics eliminate the snubbing circuits in some designs and reduce the size of snubbing components in most design applications. The low forward voltage drop reduces conduction losses and low reverse recovery current reduces power-switching losses. All features combine to reduce power dissipation, operating temperature, physical size and weight while increasing power supply efficiency and reliability.

The new hermetically-sealed ultrafast diodes are available in both single and common cathode configurations. Package configurations include TO-254, TO-257, TO-258, and TO-259, as well as surface-mount SMD-0.5, SMD-1, SMD-2, hermetic D2, and D3 packages.

The new diodes are available as hermetic commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) as well as screened to space or military QPL equivalent to MIL-PRF-19500 and sold under IR's in-house specifications. To learn more about these in-house QPL equivalents ask for IR's ``Qualified International Rectifier List'' (QIRL) devices.

Availability and Pricing The new diodes are available immediately. Pricing begins at US $40.96 each in 5000-unit quantities. More information on International Rectifier line of hi-rel components is available on the Web site, www.irf.com.

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