Nexperia, the expert in essential semiconductors, has announced the industry’s first range of A-selection Zener diodes. With a tolerance of just ±1%, the BZT52H-A (SOD123F) and BZX384-A (SOD323) series provide a higher precision voltage reference compared to the B (±2%) and C (±5%) variants.

Matching the rising demands of mobile, portable/wearable, automotive and industrial applications and meeting the increasing regulatory requirements, the two series are also available as Q-portfolio devices.

“Nexperia’s A-selection Zener diode range covers every application from 1.8  to 75 V while providing a precise voltage reference with the lowest possible tolerance,” says Paula Stümer, product manager at Nexperia.

The A-selection Zener diodes have a nominal working voltage range of 1.8  to 75 V (E24 range). The devices also feature a non-repetitive peak reverse power dissipation of ≤40W, total power dissipation ≤250mW and low differential thermal resistance. The low tolerance provides a higher precision voltage, which is especially important for test & measurement applications and enables engineers to replace more costly voltages reference devices.

“By replacing B or C-selection devices with pad compatible A-selection Zener devices, engineers can go to the limits of the MOSFET, if applied to limit voltage for the gate-source path or drain-gate path, or choose from a wider variety of suitable MOSFETs,” added Stümer.

Instead of protecting the MOSFET directly, a more cost-efficient alternative is to connect a Zener diode in parallel to the drain-gate path. Once the Zener breaks through, the MOSFET switches on to stop the drain-source from going into an avalanche breakdown.

The A-selection Zeners is also available as Q-portfolio devices, meeting the AEC-Q101 and ISO/TS16949 automotive quality standards. The focus of these standards is to meet the Stress Test Qualification and quality-management system requirements of automotive OEMs.

However, customer demands continue to evolve, and more non-automotive applications require additional quality-related services, such as PPAP (Production Part Approval Process) and extended longevity. Another differentiator between the standard and Q-portfolio devices is the Product Change Notifications (PCN) period, which is extended from 90 days, according to JEDEC requirements, to 180 days.

In addition, all parts are supported with a minimum longevity of 10 years and come with a shelf-life of more than two years.