Nijmegen, February 11, 2025: Nexperia today released the industry’s first ESD protection diodes to comply with the OPEN Alliance requirements for use in 10BASE-T1S automotive Ethernet applications. The exceptionally low capacitance (0.4 pF) of these diodes means they can also be used to protect higher speed applications deploying 100BASE-T1 or 1000BASE-T1 in-vehicle networks while still maintaining excellent signal integrity. These diodes offer a single line ESD protection solution with up to 18 kV, according to IEC 61000-4-2, and up to 15 kV with 1000 discharges, as per OPEN Alliance. These devices are covering the full range of automotive board net voltages including 12 V typically found in cars; 24 V for trucks and larger commercial vehicles; and 48 V in hybrid and electric cars.
“At Nexperia, we are proud to introduce the first diodes to meet the stringent OPEN Alliance requirements for 10BASE-T1S automotive Ethernet applications. These diodes not only enable backward compatibility with legacy standards like LIN and CAN but also support modern in-vehicle networks with exceptional signal integrity. Underscoring our leadership position in ESD protection, this innovation reflects our focus to deliver best-in-class products while helping customers simplify board designs. By bridging the gap between current and future automotive technologies, we’re helping our customers build smarter, more versatile, and future-proof vehicles,” says Alexander Benedix, Head of Product Group Protection and Filtering at Nexperia.
High-bandwidth 100BASE-T1 and 1000BASE-T1 automotive Ethernet networks are playing a key role in advancing automotive connectivity and electrification but many legacy in-vehicle applications operate at lower speeds and are still implemented using older connectivity standards like CAN and LIN. Interfacing these applications to higher speed automotive Ethernet networks introduces unnecessary complexity and cost so replacing them with 10BASE-T1S makes sense. This approach allows a single network architecture (automotive Ethernet) to serve the speed requirements of almost every automotive application. Now automotive subsystem manufacturers will be able to use a single ESD protection diode, the PESD1ETH10L-Q or PESD1ETH10LS-Q, to protect all automotive Ethernet applications against the harmful effects of electrostatic discharge, thus simplifying their board designs and supply chains.
The OPEN Alliance (One-Pair Ether-Net) is a non-profit group of automotive manufacturers, technology providers, and suppliers working to establish Ethernet-based networks as the standard for in-vehicle networking. Founded in 2011, the alliance fosters collaboration across the industry to support open access to specifications and advance automotive connectivity.
The PESD1ETH10L-Q is available in a DFN1006-2 package measuring 1.0 mm x 0.6 mm x 0.48 mm while the PESD1ETH10LS-Q is available in DFN1006BD-2 measuring 1.0 mm x 0.6 mm x 0.37 mm with side-wettable flanks to enable automated optical inspection (AOI) in applications that require higher levels of soldering reliability.
Nexperia will be attending the Automotive Ethernet Congress on February 17-18 in Munich and welcomes the opportunity to discuss our latest innovations and how they benefit different applications. To learn more about Nexperia’s ESD protection for automotive Ethernet visit:
https://www.nexperia.com/
About Nexperia
Headquartered in the Netherlands, Nexperia is a global semiconductor company with a rich European history and over 12,500 employees across Europe, Asia, and the United States. As a leading expert in the development and production of essential semiconductors, Nexperia’s components enable the basic functionality of virtually every commercial electronic design in the world – from automotive and industrial to mobile and consumer applications.
The company serves a global customer base, shipping more than 100 billion products annually. These products are recognized as benchmarks in efficiency – in process, size, power, and performance. Nexperia’s commitment to innovation, efficiency, sustainability, and stringent industry requirements is evident in its extensive IP portfolio, its expanding product range, and its certification to IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 standards.
