• Need high current and want to replace relays/fuses → Choose Infineon Power PROFET + (24/48V) series (very low RDS(on), integrated protection, capable up to 25–60A loads). (Infineon)
• Need smart multi-channel switching with diagnostics and MCU interface (small/medium power channels) → TI TPS4H series / TPS482H85-Q1 is highly competitive (48V support, diagnostics, compact packaging). (Texas Instruments)
• Need external power MOSFET + smart controller architecture → ST’s VNF1048F (controller + external FET) is a popular option for flexibility and scalability. (STMicroelectronics)
• Need high-voltage MOSFET gate driving (up to 80V or above) → onsemi gate-driver and protected switch families are available. (onsemi)

Detailed Comparison Table

Note: Specifications vary significantly by model (channels, integrated MOSFET or external, rated current, and RDS(on)).
The table lists typical ranges and representative devices. Always refer to each device’s datasheet for exact values.

Notes: “Typical current / RDS(on)” and “protection features” are summarized. Refer to specific datasheets for thermal resistance, energy limits, and recommended circuits.

Engineering Selection Guidelines

1. Decide Whether You Need an Integrated MOSFET or a Controller + External MOSFET Architecture

Integrated Smart High-Side Solution

• Simplifies PCB design.
• Built-in protections/diagnostics.
• Thermal design becomes critical due to single-package power density.
• Good for low/medium/high current depending on model (Infineon offers up to 60A).

Controller + External Power MOSFET

• Extremely flexible and scalable.
• Allows selecting ultra-low-RDS(on) MOSFETs for better thermal efficiency.
• More complex PCB + gate drive responsibility.
• Best for very high current or cost-optimized designs.

2. RDS(on) & Thermal Considerations

In 48V systems, currents can be high (e.g., motor loads or heaters).
Power loss = I² × RDS(on) becomes critical.

For relay replacement:
Prefer devices with explicitly rated 25A/35A/60A continuous load capability.

3. Protection & Diagnostics Requirements

Modern automotive smart-switch devices include:

• OCP (Over-Current Protection)
• Short-Circuit Protection
• OVP/UVLO
• Over-temperature shutdown
• Reverse-current blocking
• Fault reporting or SPI/I²C diagnostic channels

If used in domain controllers or intelligent fuse boxes, select devices with SPI/I²C diagnostics.

4. Automotive Certification (AEC-Q, ISO 26262)

Prefer devices labeled:

• AEC-Q100 / Q1
• Automotive-grade product series
• ISO 26262 documentation or ASIL support, if required

5. EMI, Load-Dump, Surge

48V systems demand strict handling of:

• Load-dump,
• Transient surge,
• ESD,
• Recommended external protection (TVS diodes, RC snubbers).

Vendor application notes provide validated reference circuits.

Typical Applications & Recommendations

• Automotive Power Distribution

(Heaters, pumps, fans, relays, small motors)
→ Use smart switches such as Infineon PROFET+ or TI TPS4H series.

• Large 48V Motor Loads / High Current Lines

→ Usually built with controller + low-RDS(on) external MOSFET,
or Infineon’s higher-power PROFET if the rated current fits.

• Zone/Body/ADAS Controller Sub-loads

→ TI smart switches (compact QFN packages, rich diagnostics) are ideal.

By leveraging NXP’s GD316x HV isolated gate drivers, the products are designed to accelerate the adoption of 800-V and SiC power devices.

Safe, efficient and higher performance traction inverters enabled by the GD316x product family extend EV range and reduce the number of charging stops while lowering system level costs for OEMs.

The collaboration between ZF and NXP is a significant step towards accelerating the electrification of the automotive industry, and creating more safe, sustainable, and energy-efficient EVs for the future.

“The combination of ZF’s expertise in motor control and power electronics with NXP’s GD316x gate driver family enables us to provide our latest SiC-based traction inverters with higher power and volume density, efficiency and differentiation,” says ZF svp Carsten Götte.

Traction inverters are a critical component of an EV’s electric powertrain, converting DC voltage from the battery into a time-varying AC voltage, which drives the vehicle’s motor.

As traction inverters now migrate to SiC-based designs, the SiC power devices need to be paired with HV isolated gate drivers to harness the advantages such as higher switching frequency, lower conduction losses, better thermal characteristics and higher robustness at high voltages, compared to previous generation silicon-based IGBT and MOSFET power switches.

For the line of processors by NXP Semiconductors, see Nexperia (processor)

Nexperia is a semiconductor manufacturer headquartered in Nijmegen, the Netherlands. It is a subsidiary of the partially state-owned Chinese company Wingtech Technology.^[3] It has front-end factories in Hamburg, Germany, and Greater Manchester, England.^[4] It is the former Standard Products business unit of NXP Semiconductors (previously Philips Semiconductors). The company’s product range includes bipolar transistors, diodes, ESD protection, TVS diodes, MOSFETs, and logic devices

History

Nexperia is a second-generation spin-off of Philips’ semiconductor division, whose history dates back to the 1920s when Philips acquired vacuum tubes manufacturer Mullard,^[6] whose facility in Hazel Grove became today’s Nexperia Manchester,^[7] and Valvo in Hamburg.^[8][9] In the early 1950s, Philips started with the production of semiconductors in Nijmegen^[10] and Hamburg,^[9] where the Nexperia wafer fab is located.^[11] In 1981, Philips opened a factory in Cabuyao, Philippines. The fab is owned and operated by Nexperia.^[12] In 1991, Philips founded ITEC, a manufacturer of semiconductor equipment. Today, ITEC is an independent subsidiary of Nexperia.^[13] Philips and Motorola established the Semiconductor Miniature Products factory in Seremban Malaysia in 1992 as a joint venture,^[14] which became part of Nexperia.^[11]

In 2006, Philips spun off its semiconductor division under the name NXP and sold an 80.1% stake to private equity investors.^[15][16] In August 2010, NXP completed its initial public offering and its shares were listed on the Nasdaq.^[17] On June 14, 2016, NXP Semiconductors announced an agreement to divest its Standard Products business to a consortium of Chinese financial investors consisting of Beijing Jianguang Asset Management Co., Ltd (“JAC Capital”), a subsidiary of a Chinese state-owned investment company, and Wise Road Capital LTD (“Wise Road Capital”).^[18] Following the official transaction on February 6, 2017, Nexperia became an independent company, and the entire scope of the NXP Standard Products business, including its management team, and approximately 11,000 NXP employees were transferred from NXP to Nexperia.^[19]

On October 25, 2018, Nexperia was acquired by Wingtech Technology, a partially state-owned Chinese ODM for smartphone companies for $3.6 billion.^[20][3]

In January 2023, Dutch public broadcaster Nederlandse Omroep Stichting reported that Nexperia chips ended up in Russian military kit despite international sanctions during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[21][22] Nexperia transceivers were discovered in a Russian Kh-101 missile, according to the Royal United Services Institute.^[23]

Acquisitions

In 2021, the company purchased the Inmos microprocessor factory in Newport, Wales.^[24][3] On 17 November 2022, the British government ordered Nexperia to divest 86% of its ownership interest in the Newport facility for national security reasons.^[25][26] Nexperia subsequently engaged New York law firm, Akin Gump to act on their behalf in their application for a judicial review of the UK government’s divestment decision.^[27] In November 2023, Nexperia agreed to sell the facility to Vishay Intertechnology for $177 million.^[28] In March 2024, the UK government approved the acquisition of the Newport wafer fab, as announced by Secretary of State Oliver Dowden.^[29][30][31]

In November 2022, Nexperia acquired the Delft-based manufacturer of power management integrated circuits, Nowi.^[32] Subsequently, the Dutch government announced that it would investigate Nexperia’s acquisition of Nowi on national security grounds.^[33] In November 2023, the Dutch government approved Nexperia’s acquisition of Nowi.^[34][35]

Products[edit]

Nexperia focuses on semiconductors with basic functions which are often called essential semiconductors due to them being needed in more complex chips.^[36][37][38] They are used in the automotive industry as well as other industrial, mobile and consumer products.^[39] Nexperia’s products include 650V silicon carbide Schottky diodes,^[40] bipolar transistors^[41] as well as 650V GaN FETs,^[42] MOSFETs like the NextPower series,^[43] or the PMCB60XN, which at launch was the most energy efficient 30V MOSFET on the market.^[44] LED drivers are offered with a side-wettable flank since 2020^[45] and since 2023 the company produces 600V IGBTs with low switching losses and conduction.^[46][47] Further products include ESD protection devices,^[48] Transient Voltage Suppressor Diodes,^[49] electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter^[50] as well as load switches.^[51] Nexperia also cooperates with other firms like Mitsubishi Electric or Kyocera AVX Components to develop products such as SiC power semiconductors or SiC rectifier modules.^[52][53]