Surge Arresters guard against phone-line lightning surges.
Press Release Summary:
Built into sensitive home and corporate telecom products such as phones and broadband modems, Series SMPxxMC Trisil Surge Arresters provide failsafe operation and exhibit no degradation over time. In event of extreme lightning surge, short circuit can protect equipment and anyone standing nearby. Silicon chips have no effect on strength of high frequency ADSL signal and are fully compatible with ADSL2 and ADSL2+ standards.
Original Press Release:
Advanced Protection Circuits from STMicroelectronics
Guard Against Phone-Line Lightning Surges
Broadband modems and telephone systems protected, without impairing line performance
Geneva, May 18, 2006 - STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), one of the world's leading semiconductor companies and the number one supplier* of semiconductor-based protection circuits, has announced a new family of silicon chips designed to be built in to sensitive home and corporate telecom products - such as phones and broadband modems - to protect them from surges on the telephone line caused by lightning strikes and short-circuits to power lines.
Modern systems are particularly vulnerable to lightning strike power surges. In most homes and businesses today, the phone line is connected to a range of sophisticated but sensitive equipment, including broadband modems, personal computers and telephone switchboards, as well as to telephone handsets that are not as robust as their old electromechanical predecessors. A single power surge in a thunderstorm can destroy their electronic circuits - writing off equipment, generating repair bills, and, at best, causing great inconvenience.
So most equipment is protected by a small device called a surge arrester, connected to the incoming phone line, which is designed to absorb the energy of the overvoltage spike and prevent it reaching the electronics. For this purpose, ST's established 'Trisil' technology provides superior performance compared to non-silicon alternatives, with a long service life, no performance degradation over time, fast response times, and failsafe operation. And its ultimate failure mode, in the event of an extreme lightning surge, is a short circuit that can protect both the equipment and anyone standing nearby.
ST's new SMPxxMC series Trisil surge arresters, announced today, are intended specifically for equipment connected to the ADSL broadband phone lines that are now commonly used for internet connections in homes and businesses. They are designed to have no effect on the strength of the high frequency ADSL signal, and in fact are fully compatible with the more recent and more critical ADSL2 and ADSL2+ standards now being introduced in some areas to provide even higher download speeds.
The new devices are compliant with all relevant standards and are in volume production now, priced at $0.18 in quantities of 2500 pieces.
