U.S.

SI98-02
Surging Ideas
TVS Diode Application Note
PROTECTION PRODUCTS
10/100 Ethernet Protection
10/100 Ethernet ICs are vulnerable to damage from
electrostatic discharge (ESD). The fatal discharge may
originate from a charged cable or a “human body”.
Furthermore, devices used in telecommunications
equipment may be exposed to lightning induced
transients. This application note illustrates a protection circuit suitable for use in 10/100 Ethernet applications.
1
2
10/100 Ethernet Protection Topology
The Ethernet market is moving from 10 Base-T operating
at 10Mbps to 100Mbps fast Ethernet. The original
10Base-T Ethernet chips were fairly large geometry CMOS
products and they were not very sensitive to static overvoltage. Newer 10/100 Ethernet devices however have
become extremely sensitive to latch-up or damage as IC
manufacturers have moved to 0.35-micron and smaller
line widths. Devices used in Ethernet switches and
routers are also exposed to high-energy lightning induced
transients.
In a typical system, the twisted-pair interface for each
port consists of two differential signal pairs: one for
the transmitter and one for the receiver. The transmitter input being the most sensitive to damage. The
fatal discharge occurs differentially across the transmit
or receive line pair and is capacitively coupled through
the transformer to the Ethernet chip. The challenge is
to find a TVS (transient voltage suppressor) that will
clamp low enough as to prevent latch-up or damage to
the Ethernet IC. Also, the protection device must add
minimal loading capacitance as high parasitic capacitance can cause significant degradation to the
100Mbps signal.
The Semtech SLVU2.8 is designed to meet the above
criteria. The SLVU2.8 circuit diagram is shown in Figure
1. The device features a low voltage TVS diode and a
low capacitance compensation diode in the same (SOT23) package. The TVS diode is constructed using a
proprietary EPD process technology yielding a device
with superior electrical characteristics at an operating
voltage of 2.8V. The series compensation diode acts
to reduce the loading capacitance to typically <5pF (pin
1 to 2).
Protection is achieved by connecting two SLVU2.8’s in
anti-parallel across each line pair. In portable systems,
it may be sufficient to provide ESD protection on the
sensitive transmit lines (Figure 2). In telecommunicaRevision 04/16/2003
3
Figure 1 - SLVU2.8 Circuit Diagram
tions applications, the threat of lightning & static discharge requires both transmit & receive line pairs to be
protected (Figure 3). The devices are connected in a low
capacitance configuration. Two devices are required to
provide bidirectional protection. Pin 1 of the first device is
connected to line 1 and pin 2 is connected to line 2. Pin
2 of the second device is connected to line 1 and pin 1 is
connected to line 2 as shown. Pin 3 must be left open
on both devices. During negative duration transients,
the first device will conduct from pin 2 to 1. The steering
diode conducts in the forward direction while the TVS will
conduct in the reverse direction. During positive transients, the second device will conduct in the same
manner. In this configuration, the total loading capacitance is the sum of the capacitance (between pins 1 and
2) of each device (typically <10pF).
(Update: The SLVU2.8-4 and SR2.8 are also available
for 10/100 Ethernet protection. Consult specific
data sheets for details.)
Board Layout Considerations For ESD Protection
Board layout plays an important role in the suppression
of extremely fast rise-time ESD transients. Recall that
the voltage developed across an inductive load is
proportional to the time rate of change of current
through the load (V = Ldi/dt). The total clamping
voltage seen by the protected load will be the sum of
the TVS clamping voltage and the voltage due to the
parasitic inductance (VC(TOT) = VC + L di/dt) . Parasitic
inductance in the protection path can result in significant voltage overshoot, reducing the effectiveness of
the suppression circuit. An ESD induced transient for
example reaches a peak in approximately 1ns. For a
1
www.semtech.com
SI98-02
Surging Ideas
TVS Diode Application Note
PROTECTION PRODUCTS
Figure 2 - 10/100 Ethernet Protection Circuit (Transmit Line Pairs Only)
Figure 3 - 10/100 Ethernet Protection Circuit (Transmit and Receive Line Pairs)
 2003 Semtech Corp.
2
www.semtech.com
SI98-02
Surging Ideas
TVS Diode Application Note
PROTECTION PRODUCTS
voltage of 1500V will provide sufficient protection for the
common mode surges.
30A pulse (per IEC 61000-4-2 Level 4), 1nH of series
inductance will increase the effective clamping voltage
by 30V (V = 1x10-9 (30/1x10-9)). For maximum effectiveness, the following board layout guidelines are
recommended:
z
z
z
Minimize the path length between the SLVU2.8 and
the protected line.
Place the SLVU2.8 near the RJ45 connector to
restrict transient coupling in nearby traces.
Minimize the path length (inductance) between the
RJ45 connector and the SLVU2.8.
Meeting Bellcore GR-1089 Intra-Building Requirements
A different design approach is utilized for systems that
must meet the intra-building lightning immunity requirements of Bellcore 1089 (Table 1). The SLVU2.8 is not
designed to dissipate the required surge. For this
application, the LC03-6 is used to absorb the metallic
mode surges. Transformers with a minimum isolation
Surge
Min.
Voltage
[ Vp k ]
R ise/Decay
Time µs
Min.
Current
[A]
R epetitions
Each
Polarity
1. M
800
2/10
100
1
2. L
1500
2/10
100
1
Notes:
L = Longitudinal Mode, M - Metallic Mode
1 Pulse is a double exponential waveform
2 8/20µs s.c. current waveform may be substituted with the
inclusion of appropriate series resistance per Bellcore 1089.
Table 1 - GR-1089 Intra-building Lightning Surges
Figure 4 - 10/100 Ethernet Lightning Protection to
Bellcore 1089 (Intra-Building)
 2003 Semtech Corp.
3
www.semtech.com