Nexperia, a global semiconductor manufacturer, has introduced a new series of analog switches designed to monitor and protect 1.8 V electronic systems. These multiplexers consist of 4- and 8-channel variants and are available in AEC-Q100 qualified versions for automotive applications, as well as standard versions suitable for consumer and industrial applications such as sensor monitoring, diagnostics, enterprise computing, and domestic appliances.

One common challenge when using analog switches is the need for additional voltage translators because the control circuitry operates at a different voltage level than the switch's power supply. However, the NMUX1308 and NMUX1309 switches from Nexperia have independent control pins that can operate irrespective of the power supply voltage range. This eliminates the need for extra components for level-shifting, saving board space and reducing costs.

Nexperia has incorporated additional features in this series of switches to enhance system safety. The fail-safe logic allows control pins to be biased before system power-up and remain biased even after system power-down. This eliminates the need for power sequencing between the analog switch and the system's microcontroller unit (MCU). Furthermore, a power-off protection feature enables analog pins to be biased before system power-up and remain biased after system power-down. This eliminates the restrictions associated with power sequencing for the analog switch and various power rails that support analog signals and ADC circuitry further down the signal chain. These combined features in the NMUX130X series prevent back-powering of the supply rail through any pin of the analog switch.

The devices also integrate injection current control circuitry, which limits output voltage shifts on the active channel to less than 5 mV during overvoltage events on disabled signal channels. This eliminates the need for external diode and resistor networks, saving board space and reducing costs.

The NMUX1308 and NMUX1309 switches are available in 8-channel and dual 4-channel configurations. They come in standard (-40 °C to +85 °C) and automotive-qualified (-40 °C to +125 °C) versions and are offered in leaded and leadless packages. The leadless package supports AOI (Automated Optical Inspection) for automotive applications.