Power Integrations’ LinkSwitch-PH LED driver ICs available in low-profile package for fluorescent tube replacements

SAN JOSE, USA: Power Integrations announced the availability of LinkSwitch-PH LED driver ICs in a low-profile eSIP-7F (L package) that measures just 2 mm high. The new package targets LED-based replacements for fluorescent tubes, where very low-profile packages are required to fit into the small space available behind the LED circuit board, as well as other applications where board height is constrained.

LinkSwitch-PH devices in the 2-mm L package have the same thermal and electrical performance as previously released ICs in the 10 mm high eSIP-7C (E package). The new L package features a heat transfer tab on top of the device which is electrically quiet (source potential) so any additional heatsink does not contribute to electrical noise propagation.

Power Integrations’ LinkSwitch-PH single-stage, primary-side controlled, LED driver ICs feature >90 percent efficiency and >0.9 power factor. The innovative topology eliminates the need for unreliable electrolytic bulk capacitors and opto-isolators, making the devices ideal for high-reliability industrial, commercial, and exterior solid-state lighting (SSL) applications. Suitable for designs from 4 W to 55 W, SSL driver ballasts based on LinkSwitch-PH ICs easily satisfy ENERGY STAR and EN61000-3-2 class C and D requirements.

Andrew Smith, product marketing manager at Power Integrations, said: “Competing T8 tube replacement power supplies occupy the full diameter of the tube and several inches of tube length leaving a dark patch on one or sometimes both ends of the tube. PI’s new low-profile L package enables the power supply to be positioned on the underside of the LED PCB, with space on the front of the panel for LEDs. This facilitates even, consistent lighting across the whole length of the tube, resulting in better aesthetics and a discernibly better light distribution.”