ESD protection diodes maintain signal integrity in high-speed data lines

Nexperia supplies a family of ESD diodes with low capacitance ratings of less than 1 pF which protect high-speed data lines while minimizing signal distortion and delay. These diodes are ideal for the protection of antennas, and a wide variety of high-speed interfaces. 

The protection provided by these Nexperia ESD diodes is particularly valuable in artificial intelligence (AI) servers and edge devices, which rely on fast inter- and intra-board data interfaces such as PCIe and USB 3.x. Low-capacitance ESD protection ensures that these lines are shielded without degrading performance. Diodes supporting multi-line arrays reduce the space occupied by ESD protection, a useful feature for densely populated AI server boards. 

The Nexperia ESD protection diodes are also notable for low leakage current of as little as 5 nA. In the security domain, this feature is valuable for cryptographic modules, in which even a small amount of current leakage can be a vector for side-channel attacks. The rail-to-rail protection afforded by low-capacitance Nexperia diodes also ensures that all voltage rails are shielded, which is essential in multi-voltage cryptographic systems.

Typical examples of the Nexperia range of ESD protection diodes are the PESD3V3U1UA, PESD3V3U1UB, PESD3V3U1UL-Q, and PESD3V3U1UT. These unidirectional diodes shield one signal line from ESD strikes of up to 30 kV.