Diodes Inc.'s new bipolar family comes in super-small-size package to save space in smart phones

PLANO, USA: Diodes Inc., a leading global manufacturer and supplier of high-quality application specific standard products within the broad discrete, logic and analog semiconductor markets, announced a new family of small-signal bipolar transistors that is available in the tiny DFN package, measuring only 1 x 0.6mm, yet delivering the same electrical performance as equivalent devices in much larger packages.

The new devices are specifically aimed at load- and signal-switching applications in smart phones and other portable applications that have extreme constraints for designers in terms of PCB area where space is at a premium.

As strong consumer demand drives increasing functionality in ever smaller form factors of handheld gadgets and other portable computing devices, this new family of products is ideal for a wide range of electronic applications, including cameras, portable multimedia players, Bluetooth headsets and tablet PCs, as well as smart phones.

Offering a tenfold higher power density, these new NPN and PNP bipolar transistors come in the super-tiny DFN1006 package, which has a 0.6mm2 footprint – 13 times smaller than SOT23 leaded package – and an off-board height of 0.4mm, which is even lower than the industry standard. In addition to being significantly smaller than the equivalent leaded packages, such as SOT323, SOT523 and SOT723, these new devices offer significantly superior thermal performance.

These small-signal bipolar transistors offer 15 to 50V capability and are able to operate in high-switching speed applications for frequencies up to 250MHz, and can handle up to 1A peak current, making the devices ideal for handling load-switching applications. The family also delivers typical On-resistance of less than 300mΩ at 0.5A, reducing conduction losses.