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Infineon’s OptiMOS 7 40 V is a family of low-voltage power MOSFETs, not a single device with one set of ratings. Infineon positions the platform for high-current automotive switching, with lower on-resistance, fast switching and leadless copper-clip packages; related motor-drive variants target some industrial equipment. Whether a particular device is a good fit depends on its part number, voltage margin, gate drive, package, cooling and qualification.
What OptiMOS 7 40 V means
OptiMOS is Infineon’s power-MOSFET technology family. “7” identifies the generation, while “40 V” denotes the device voltage class. It is not a promise that a 40 V MOSFET is safe in every system whose nominal bus voltage is below 40 V: switching spikes and other transients must stay within the specific part’s limits.
The name covers multiple devices, package options and application variants. Infineon’s automotive description emphasizes leadless packages, copper clips, top-side cooling options and automotive design and quality. Separately, distributor listings include OptiMOS 7 40 V devices optimized for motor drives and industrial equipment. Do not assume those variants have the same qualification, package or intended operating conditions as an automotive device. The exact orderable part and its datasheet control.
The original All About Circuits “New Industry Products” item, published May 21, 2024, is partner-supplied product content rather than independent comparative testing. Its claims are best read as Infineon’s positioning of the family, not as results from a third-party benchmark: All About Circuits’ OptiMOS 7 40 V item.
#1 Best Overall
- 0.36A
- CMOS
- HALF BRIDGE BASED MOSFET DRIVER
- PDIP8
- Power Management IC
What Infineon says changed
Infineon says OptiMOS 7 40 V lowers on-resistance (RDS(on)), supports higher current, reduces conduction and switching losses, switches faster, and improves safe-operating-area (SOA) and avalanche behavior. It also highlights package construction and thermal and electrical conductivity as parts of the platform’s benefits.
- RDS(on): Infineon states a family-level reduction of about 25% versus OptiMOS 6 40 V and about 40% versus OptiMOS 5 80 V/100 V technology. These are the manufacturer’s comparisons, not guaranteed ratios for every part or a universal comparison across all devices.
- Switching and current: Infineon describes faster switching and higher current capability. Actual switching loss and usable current depend on the device, gate drive, switching conditions and thermal design.
- SOA and avalanche: Infineon highlights improved SOA ruggedness and high avalanche-current capability. These statements do not replace the particular device’s pulse, temperature and avalanche limits.
- Manufacturing: Infineon cites 300 mm (12-inch) in-house production. Wafer size and manufacturing control are production-positioning claims; they do not by themselves establish a device’s electrical performance, yield or supply continuity.
Infineon announced the automotive family on May 5, 2023, and said its first products were expected to be orderable in August 2023. That was launch guidance, not a current stock or lead-time guarantee. In 2024, Infineon announced further portfolio expansion, including additional leadless devices and 80 V and 100 V automotive products: Infineon’s 2024 OptiMOS 7 portfolio announcement.
Rank #2
- (PRICE/EA) MOSFET
- 25A
- 650V
- N CHANNEL
- TO-220FP; TRANSISTOR POLARITY:N CHANNEL; CONTINUOUS DRAIN CURRENT ID:25A; DRAIN SOURCE VOLTAGE VDS:650V; ON R
Why lower on-resistance matters—and what it does not guarantee
For a MOSFET conducting current, a useful first-order estimate of conduction loss is P = I² × RDS(on). At the same current, reducing resistance can cut the MOSFET’s conduction loss. It does not follow that a 25% reduction in device RDS(on) yields a 25% reduction in total system loss: drivers, inductors, wiring, other switches and control electronics contribute too.
Compare resistance at the gate-source voltage your circuit will actually provide and account for its increase as the junction heats. A low-resistance device can also have greater gate charge or capacitance, increasing the effort required to switch it. In a converter or motor drive, switching loss may outweigh some of the conduction benefit, so the best choice is not automatically the device with the smallest headline RDS(on).
Why switching speed and ruggedness depend on the design
“Fast switching” is not a standalone system outcome. Edge speed depends on the gate driver’s source and sink current, gate resistance, common-source inductance, PCB layout, load current, bus voltage and parasitic capacitance and inductance. Dead time and commutation conditions also matter. Faster edges can reduce switching loss, but may increase voltage overshoot, ringing, electromagnetic interference, common-mode current, gate stress or false turn-on. A deliberately slower edge, set by gate resistance or active gate control, may be the better engineering choice.
SOA describes the voltage, current, pulse-duration and temperature combinations in which a device can operate without damage. Avalanche capability describes tolerance to inductive energy when the MOSFET clamps a voltage excursion. Neither is a blanket promise of repeated fault survival. For a proposed operating condition, check the exact part’s SOA curves, single-pulse avalanche energy, any stated repetitive-avalanche conditions, junction-temperature limit and derating. Motor commutation, wiring inductance and automotive transients still require system-level analysis and, where appropriate, clamps or snubbers.
Rank #4
- HIGH/LOW-SIDE
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- SOIC-8; NO. OF CHANNELS:2CHANNELS; GATE DRIVER TYPE:-; DRIVER CONFIGURATION:HIGH SIDE AND LOW SIDE; POWER SWITCH TYPE:MOSFET; NO. OF PINS:8PINS; IC CASE / PACKAGE:SOIC; IC MOUNTING:SURFACE MOUNT ROHS COMPLIANT: YES
- Power Management IC
- Integrated Circuits
What the package contributes—and demands
OptiMOS 7 40 V’s package story is part of the design proposition. Infineon emphasizes leadless power packages and copper-clip construction, including top-side cooling options on some devices. Shorter current paths and package construction can support lower parasitics and better heat transfer, while compact footprints can increase power density. Those are benefits to verify for the chosen package and board, not automatic properties of every design.
- Follow the exact manufacturer land pattern and thermal-pad recommendations. Pad geometry, copper area, vias and solder quality form part of the electrical and thermal path.
- Account for solder voids and inspection: leadless packages can be harder to inspect and rework than packages with visible gull-wing leads.
- Check whether the device is bottom-cooled, top-cooled or dual-side cooled, and use the thermal parameters and assembly guidance for that package.
- For top-side cooling, assess mechanical contact, electrical isolation and heatsink requirements. Do not assume the cooling surface can safely be connected to a heatsink without insulation.
- Treat datasheet current ratings as conditional on stated case, board, temperature and pulse conditions, not as a guaranteed board-level current.
Where the family is intended to be used
Automotive power switching
Infineon names electric power steering, braking and electric parking-brake systems, battery-management and battery-disconnect functions, DC-DC converters, e-fuses, relay-box functions and zone-control architectures as target applications. These are low-voltage, often high-current power paths where resistance, switching behavior, package parasitics and heat removal all matter.
Best Value
- Price For: Each Device Type: High Side Module Configuration: High Side Peak Output Current: 500mA Supply Voltage Min: 10V Supply Voltage Max: 20V Driver Case Style: SOIC No. of Pins: 8 Input Delay: 125ns RoHS Compliant: Yes
Infineon describes automotive design and quality, PPAP capability and qualification beyond the basic AEC-Q101 framework. These are family-level descriptions, not proof that every OptiMOS 7 device is automotive qualified or carries the same documentation. Confirm the exact part’s AEC-Q101 status, PPAP availability, temperature grade, traceability, manufacturing-site details and change-control requirements with its datasheet and supplier documentation.
Industrial and motor-drive equipment
Distributor information lists motor-drive-optimized 40 V variants for power tools, cordless vacuums, gardening equipment, battery-management systems and low-power BDC or BLDC drives. These are related OptiMOS 7 products, but an industrial or motor-drive listing should not be treated as interchangeable with an automotive-qualified device. Check application assumptions, qualification, footprint and ratings for the specific orderable part. See Mouser’s OptiMOS 7 40 V listing.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to choose a specific OptiMOS 7 40 V device
- Set the voltage requirement. Establish maximum bus voltage and transient envelope, including inductive spikes, regenerative events, wiring effects and clamping. A nominal 24 V or 36 V bus does not alone establish that a 40 V part has enough margin. Consider a higher voltage class if the system envelope requires it.
- Compare RDS(on) at the real drive and temperature. Use the datasheet value at the gate-source voltage your driver supplies, then account for elevated junction temperature. Do not compare values quoted at different gate voltages as if they were equivalent.
- Estimate switching loss as well as conduction loss. Compare gate charge and capacitances, including QG, QGD, Ciss, Coss and Crss, at relevant conditions. Include turn-on, turn-off, diode-recovery and dead-time losses for the intended topology and frequency.
- Validate SOA and transient handling. Match pulse duration, current, voltage and temperature to the datasheet curves. Treat avalanche ratings according to their stated test conditions; do not use them as a substitute for a suitable TVS, clamp, snubber or controlled commutation strategy.
- Design the thermal path around the package. Review junction-to-case or junction-to-board parameters, board copper, thermal vias, airflow and any heatsink. Confirm the cooling surface and assembly constraints for top- or dual-side-cooled options.
- Confirm qualification and sourcing. Verify the automotive or industrial grade required, AEC-Q101 status, PPAP and quality documentation where needed, ordering suffix, lifecycle status and current availability for the exact part. Distributor prices and stock change by date, region and quantity.
Common failure modes to avoid
- Insufficient voltage margin: Choosing a 40 V part from nominal bus voltage alone can leave no headroom for transients. Measure or model the system envelope and verify clamp performance.
- Unexpected heating: Recalculate conduction loss at the actual junction temperature; measure drain voltage and current switching waveforms; inspect gate voltage at the MOSFET pins, not just at the driver output. Look for ringing, false turn-on, inadequate dead time and shoot-through, then review copper, vias, soldering and cooling.
- Inductive-switching failure: Capture the drain waveform with an appropriately rated differential probe, identify overshoot and ringing, and assess a TVS, RC snubber, active clamp or gate-control change. Recheck SOA and avalanche conditions; increase voltage margin if the transient cannot be controlled.
- Misreading current or avalanche ratings: A pulsed-current figure is not a safe repetitive operating current, and a single-pulse avalanche-energy rating is not a general repetitive-fault guarantee. Apply the datasheet’s duration, temperature and derating conditions.
- Package or gate-drive mismatch: A wrong leadless footprint, weak gate sink, excessive slew rate or inadequate gate-source protection can undermine an otherwise suitable device. Check the package land pattern and gate-loop layout, especially in high-dv/dt half-bridges.
- Overlooking parallel-device behavior: Low RDS(on) may make paralleling attractive, but current sharing depends on copper symmetry, temperature, gate-loop impedance and dynamic switching behavior. Low resistance does not eliminate the need for current sensing, fusing or current limiting.
When to consider another voltage class or generation
OptiMOS 6 40 V may remain a practical candidate for an existing design, established qualification or sourcing situation when redesign risk matters more than the newer family’s claimed improvements. OptiMOS 7 80 V or 100 V devices may be worth evaluating when transient margin is the limiting factor, with the usual resistance and switching trade-offs of selecting a higher voltage class. Other Infineon families or competing devices should be compared only under matched voltage, package, temperature, gate-drive, SOA and qualification conditions; a headline milliohm value alone is not a meaningful selection basis. Infineon’s current overview of the 40 V platform is at Infineon’s OptiMOS 7 40 V technology page.
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