Toshiba Releases Photovoltaic-Output Photocoupler for Automotive Equipment

KAWASAKI, Japan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 17, 2026--

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation ("Toshiba") has launched a photovoltaic-output photocoupler, “ TLX9920 ”, in a thin, long-creepage-distance SO6L package, for solid state relays (SSR) [1] in automotive equipment. Volume shipments start today.

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Demand is growing for automotive equipment relay units with a longer life, a trend that has led to increased use of SSR instead of mechanical relays. As automotive systems continue to evolve, the shift to SSR is expected to accelerate further.

TLX9920 is suitable for use as a gate driver for the high-voltage power MOSFET used in SSR. Combined with a high-voltage power MOSFET, it can achieve high-voltage and high-current switching that is difficult with photorelays. As SSR have no physical contacts, unlike mechanical relays, contact wear and the need for regular maintenance are eliminated. TLX9920 also complies with AEC-Q101, the automotive electronic component reliability standard.

It is housed in an SO6L package with a creepage distance of over 8mm, which realizes high isolation voltage (BVs=5000Vrms). For example, the IEC 60664-12 [2] international standard requires a creepage distance of 5.6mm or more for application in environments with pollution degree 2 and an operating voltage of 400V or more. TLX9920 meets this requirement.

TLX9920 is suitable for application in high-voltage systems and harsh environmental conditions. It can be used in a wide range of switching applications in automotive equipment, energy storage systems (ESS) and industrial power equipment.

Toshiba will continue to contribute to building a safe and sustainable society by developing products for automotive and industrial equipment that enhance reliability and advance technological innovation.

Applications

Features

Main Specifications

Follow the link below for more on the new product.
TLX9920

Follow the link below for more on Toshiba’s isolators and solid state relays.
Isolators/Solid State Relays

To check availability of the new products at online distributors, visit:
TLX9920
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* Information in this document, including product prices and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current on the date of the announcement but is subject to change without prior notice.

About Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation, a leading supplier of advanced semiconductor and storage solutions, draws on over half a century of experience and innovation to offer customers and business partners outstanding discrete semiconductors, system LSIs and HDD products.

Its 17,000 employees around the world share a determination to maximize product value, and to promote close collaboration with customers in the co-creation of value and new markets. The company looks forward to building and to contributing to a better future for people everywhere.

Find out more at https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/top.html

Toshiba: TLX9920, a photovoltaic-output photocoupler in a thin, long-creepage-distance SO6L package for SSR in automotive equipment.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — NASCAR driver Daniel Dye was suspended Tuesday — the second known major penalty of his racing career — for mocking IndyCar driver David Malukas during a recent livestream.

In the video, which circulated Tuesday on social media, Dye used voices that made inferences about Malukas' sexuality. He mimicked Malukas' voice at one point.

Dye is a Truck Series driver for Kaulig Racing, which also suspended him. NASCAR ordered Dye to undergo sensitivity training.

Dye apologized to Malukas in a social media post, calling his comments “careless.”

“I chose my words poorly and I understand why it upset people,” he wrote. “I'm sorry to anyone who was offended. That's now I want to represent myself.

“I have some close friends in the LBGT+ community who would never want to feel less of themselves because of what I said, and that's exactly why I should hold myself to a higher standard.”

He said conversations with those friends made him recognize that “a true friend would know better than to act the way I did.”

Malukas, a 24-year-old driver for Team Penske, often posts pictures on social media with a girlfriend.

This is the second time Dye has been suspended.

He was 18 and racing in the ARCA series when he was arrested at a Dayona Beach, Florida, high school and charged with felony battery for approaching a classmate and punching the student in the groin area.

The victim was treated at a hospital for a potential ruptured testicle.

Dye said it was a game and he'd be exonerated.

He was instead indefinitely suspended by ARCA, which is owned by NASCAR. Dye was reinstated when the charge was reduced from a felony to a misdemeanor.

Dye in his third full season of racing in the Truck Series. He moved to Kaulig Racing this year to drive for Ram in the automaker's return to NASCAR competition. Through three races, his best finish is 13th at Atlanta.

Dye raced at St. Petersburg, Florida, in the Truck Series when NASCAR partnered its third-tier series with IndyCar's season opener. Malukas made his Team Penske debut that same weekend.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

FILE - Driver Daniel Dye (43) is seen during qualifying for the NASCAR Weather Guard Truck Series, March 16, 2024, in Bristol, Tenn. (AP Photo/Wade Payne, File)