OMRON Releases World's First MOS FET Relay Module with Solid State Relay in T-type Circuit Structure

December 9 2019, 00:50

OMRON Corporation of Kyoto, Japan released its new MOS FET relay module G3VM-21MT, the first electronic component in the world to adopt a "T-type" circuit structure, consisting of compact-size and longer-lifecycle solid state relays that output signals using no physical contact, therefore minimizing the leakage current that has long been a problem with semiconductor test equipment. The new G3VM-21MT relay contributes to reducing maintenance frequency of test equipment, allows high-precision measurements, and improves productivity of electronic components.

Amid the digital age where functions of electronic components are getting diversified and production volume is increasing, there is a growing need for higher performance of semiconductor test equipment. Mechanical reed relays, which have been used for a part that performs high-precision measurement in semiconductor test equipment, have extremely low leakage current but they require replacement on a regular basis, maybe several times for every single month due to wear and abrasion of the contacts that lead to affecting measurement accuracy. Such maintenance work may substantially affect production efficiency and so adoption of solid state relays has been long desired for their longer lifecycle. Until now, MOS FET (Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor - a type of field-effect transistor) relays weren't considered suitable for precise electrical tests and weren't used in test equipment systems that require high reliability, mainly due to technological difficulties in reducing leakage current.

Leakage current has been a long-term disadvantage of semiconductor relays. The G3VM-21MT helps solve the problem by minimizing the leakage to 1pA or less. G3VM-21MT successfully achieved an actual leakage level lower than or equal to 0.1pA while minimizing the impact on measurement accuracy of the application.

The output circuit of the G3VM-21MT relay module consists of semiconductor MOS FET relays using no physical contact, hence no need to perform maintenance on the contacts for wear or abrasion as there will be no arc discharge generated from opening and closure of the circuit. The G3VM-21MT achieves a compact size of just 5mm x 3.75mm x 2.7mm by incorporating the complex wiring diagram of input and output circuits into the internal module, ultimately simplifying PCB wiring of the application.

To meet these needs, by utilizing OMRON's technologies of electronic components cultivated over many years, the company has succeeded in creating the new relay module G3VM-21MT by adopting the "T-type circuit structure" and significantly reducing leakage current to a level lower than or equal to 1pA (one-trillionth part of the ampere). The challenge in reducing leakage current in a solid state relay as close to zero as possible eliminates leakage current problem and improves test equipment reliability. Moreover, by integrating long-life MOS FET relays into the relay module, it allows for shorter downtime for maintenance which has been a long-standing challenge for mechanical relays. "With the launch of the G3VM-21MT, OMRON will strive to contribute to improving the productivity of electronic components and support the evolution of digital transformation in society," the company states.
www.omron.com

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