Thanks to a new offering from Kinetic Technologies, designers can avoid over-voltage risks when using the high speed that’s offered by USB Type-C. The KTU1101 protection device offers an over-voltage protection (OVP) response time of 15 ns and the ability to protect down-stream ICs with a 6-V absolute maximum rating. Kinetic claims that the response time is the fastest in the industry by a large margin.

The KTU1101 provides ESD, surge, and OVP for USB Type-C CC/VCONN and SBU signal lines. As you know, physical or moisture-related shorts between the signal pins and VBUS at elevated PD voltage levels can damage internal electronics. The OVP device avoids this condition by keeping internal data line voltages below 6 V, while integrated ESD protection eliminates the need for external TVS diodes.

The characteristics of the KTU1101, including its small size, suit it for a host of applications utilizing USB Type-C ports, including mobile and computing devices like smartphones, tablets and computers, and industrial hardware. It’s packaged in RoHS- and green-compliant 1.7- by 2.1-mm wafer-level chip-scale packaging. Samples are available now.

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