EL SEGUNDO, CA. November 1997 - International Rectifier (IR), the power semiconductor expert, has introduced three new families of devices for input power conversion applications. The new input rectification products include SAFEIR™ diodes and thyristors that increase safety margins by protecting equipment from line disturbances like surges and spikes; QUIETIR™ soft-recovery diodes that offer emitted and conducted noise reduction and low forward voltage drops; and SMALLIR™ input devices in small footprint D-Pak and D2Pak surface mount packages to complement switches and output diodes currently on the market.

"All three of our new input product families respond to emerging market requirements that have lacked clear-cut solutions," said Alberto Guerra, input function group manager at IR. "For example, SAFEIR devices employ a new improved "MOAT" termination structure to meet the most demanding IEC, EN and ISO international standards for surge immunity. This provides engineers with a better safety margin from line disturbances, thereby increasing the reliability of their equipment designs. In addition, QUIETIR products use a specific diffused junction structure to increase active noise immunity to meet new international EMI regulations, lower forward voltage drop for improved efficiency and maintain fast recovery characteristics. SMALLIR devices, using a new reduced termination die technique and a proven glass passivated process, achieve superior stability for homogenous stuffing and assembly. Taken together, they represent a major breakthrough in capabilities for designing input rectification subsystems," he noted.

SAFEIR diodes and thyristors increase the safety margins in input subsystems by resisting high voltage and current spikes, allowing designs to meet the most advanced and demanding environmental standards such as EN61000-4-5. Transient thresholds to 1600 V can be accommodated in applications such as input full- and half-bridges, capacitor discharge systems, high reliability power supplies for telecom systems and DC fractional motor drives. Devices with complementary current ratings up to 85 A, 1600 V are available in a wide range of through-hole and surface-mount packaging options.

QUIETIR input diodes offer increased active noise immunity but retain fast recovery characteristics and help engineers to meet the new EMI regulations such as EN61000-4-6 for Line Conducted Noise. These devices are the ideal choice for an input subsystem or as free wheeling diodes for inverters when the operating frequency of the inverter is less than 50 kHz. High current ratings to 80 A, 600 V and 1200 V can be specified, as can a range of surface-mount and through-hole packages for motors, alternators or welding equipment that connects to the AC line.

SMALLIR moat-process diodes and glass-passivated SCRs with ratings of up to 25 A, 1600 V are now available in D-Pak and D2Pak surface mount packages. They are ideal for input subsystems in a wide range of commercial power conversion applications including power supplies and UPSs, motor controls, pumps and air conditioning units.