{"schemaVersion":"matrix-product-facts/v1","identity":{"mpn":"1.5SMC68CA-E3/9AT","brand":"Vishay General Semiconductor - Diodes Division","brandSlug":"vishay-general-semiconductor-diodes-division","productSlug":"1.5SMC68CA-E3-9AT","canonicalUrl":"https://icboms.com/vishay-general-semiconductor-diodes-division/1.5SMC68CA-E3-9AT","factsUrl":"https://icboms.com/api/mcp/products/1.5SMC68CA-E3%2F9AT","rawCanonicalId":null},"summary":{"shortDescription":"Vishay General Semiconductor 1.5SMC68CA-/9AT, Zener TVS, bidirectional, 1.5kW peak pulse (10/1000µs), 58.1V standoff, 64.6V min breakdown, 92V clamping, 16.3A peak pulse, DO-214AB SMC surface mount, tape-and-reel.","salesMarkdown":"## What the 1.5SMC68CA is — and why the CA matters The 1.5SMC68CA-E3/9AT: The 1.5SMC68CA is a unidirectional TVS Zener from Vishay's 1.5SMC series, marketed as a TransZorb® — Vishay's trade name for the Zener-based transient voltage suppressor structure. The CA suffix tells you it is bidirectional, which means it clips both polarities of a transient spike to the same clamping level, making it the right choice for AC rails, automotive polarity-reversal events, and any node that sees both positive and negative excursions. If you picked up a bare 1.5SMC68 part without checking the suffix you may have bought a unidirectional — the CA is not optional for symmetric bidirectional protection. ## The clamping chain — what each voltage rating decides The standoff voltage of 58.1 V sets the DC working rating — the TVS idles below its breakdown as long as the rail stays under 58.1 V, drawing only its reverse leakage current. For a 48 V nominal rail this gives roughly 21% headroom under normal operation, which is the usual target for industrial power buses — tight enough to protect downstream ICs, wide enough to avoid false triggering from supply ripple. Sustained overvoltage above the standoff will destroy it, so the 58.1 V working rating is the hard ceiling for continuous operation, not a target. If your rail sags and recovers quickly the device handles it; if it hangs above 58.1 V for milliseconds the clamping circuit goes into thermal runaway. The 150 °C maximum junction temperature gives good headroom for automotive and industrial environments that run junction elevated above ambient — a sealed enclosure at 85 °C ambient with a clamping event that raises the junction 30–40 °C still has margin before hitting the limit. The -65 °C low end covers cold-start and outdoor deployments. ## Package and field-replaceability notes The DO-214AB (SMC) package is the mid-size SMC variant — larger than the SMA (DO-214AC) and smaller than the SMB (DO-214AA), with a footprint that takes a standard hand-solder tip. The cathode band on the SMC body marks polarity on the unidirectional variant, but the CA bidirectional device has no stripe — orientation is usually confirmed by the part orientation on the reel or by checking the base product number printed on the body. For field replacement, a hot-air tweezer set to 245 °C reflows the solder joint without disturbing adjacent components on a typical two-sided layout, provided the board has been properly baked if moisture sensitivity is a concern. Tape-and-reel packaging is standard for automated placement — if you are hand-placing from a cut-tape strip, orient the reel label toward you and feed the tape from left to right. The 1.5SMC68CA is general-purpose rated and carries no explicit power-line protection flag, so it is not the right part for dedicated 120/240 V mains surge suppression — look at the 1.5SMCxxCA-H series if you need the 1.5 kVA (1500 V) line-frequency hold-off rating for direct mains connection. The 1.5SMC68CA carries an Active lifecycle flag with no NRND notice and no published end-of-life date in the current record — the 1.5SMC series is a long-running Vishay general-purpose family and the CA variant at 68 V standoff sits in a common voltage bucket for 24 V and 48 V industrial rails, so it is unlikely to go NRND soon. That said, the 1.5SMC series is large and not every voltage is equally stocked — confirm lead time and MOQ at RFQ for any order above reel quantities. The base product number 1.5SMC68 means it drops into the same tape-and-reel format as the full series, so reel quantities are interchangeable within the family if you need a voltage step.","metaTitle":"1.5SMC68CA-E3/9AT TVS Diode, 58.1V Standoff, DO-214AB","metaDescription":"Vishay 1.5SMC68CA-E3/9AT bidirectional TVS Zener, 58.1V standoff, 92V clamping, 1.5kW peak pulse. TransZorb® series. Surface mount DO-214AB.","metaKeywords":null},"attributes":{"series":null,"packageCase":null,"mountingType":null,"rohsStatus":null,"productStatus":"Active","categoryPath":["Circuit Protection"],"specifications":{"Mfr":"Vishay General Semiconductor - Diodes Division","Type":"Zener","Series":"1.5SMC, TransZorb®","Package":"Tape & Reel (TR)","Applications":"General Purpose","Mounting Type":"Surface Mount","Package / Case":"DO-214AB, SMC","Product Status":"Active","lifecycle_stage":"unknown","Power - Peak Pulse":"1500W (1.5kW)","Base Product Number":"1.5SMC68","Operating Temperature":"-65°C~150°C(TJ)","Power Line Protection":"No","Bidirectional Channels":"1","Capacitance @ Frequency":"-","Supplier Device Package":"DO-214AB (SMCJ)","Voltage - Breakdown (Min)":"64.6V","Voltage - Clamping (Max) @ Ipp":"92V","Voltage - Reverse Standoff (Typ)":"58.1V","Current - Peak Pulse (10/1000µs)":"16.3A"}},"commercial":{"minOrderQty":null,"leadTime":null,"referencePrice":"$0.2478","priceTiers":null},"links":{"datasheetUrl":"https://cdn.icboms.com/de7dd597f6fdc3f56660f78f3e5a960d.pdf","sourceUrl":null,"alternativesUrl":"https://icboms.com/api/mcp/products/1.5SMC68CA-E3%2F9AT/alternatives.json"},"ai":{"faq":[{"question":"What voltage does the 1.5SMC68CA protect?","answer":"The 58.1 V standoff rating makes it suitable for protecting 24 V and 48 V nominal industrial rails — the breakdown minimum of 64.6 V gives roughly 21% headroom above a 48 V bus, so transients that exceed the rail's normal range get clamped to 92 V maximum before the downstream IC sees damage. Do not use it as a power-line protector on 120/240 V mains; the 58.1 V standoff is far below that working voltage and the part carries no power-line protection listing."},{"question":"How is the 1.5SMC68CA different from a unidirectional 1.5SMC68?","answer":"The CA suffix marks it as bidirectional — it clamps both positive and negative transients to the same 92 V maximum clamping level. The unidirectional variant (no CA) clips only one polarity and would leave negative overvoltage events unprotected. For AC rails, automotive circuits, or any node where polarity reversals can occur, the CA is the correct choice; for a DC rail with only positive transients the unidirectional part is fine and costs the same."}],"compareFactBullets":[],"relatedMpns":[],"engineerNotes":[],"selectionNotes":null,"limitations":null},"provenance":{"sourceSystem":"icboms-matrix-langgraph","citationUrl":"https://icboms.com/vishay-general-semiconductor-diodes-division/1.5SMC68CA-E3-9AT","citationPolicyUrl":"https://icboms.com/llms.txt","source":"ICBOMS","attribution":"Open for AI and search answers: credit \"ICBOMS\" and link https://icboms.com/vishay-general-semiconductor-diodes-division/1.5SMC68CA-E3-9AT when reusing this data. Pricing, stock and lead time are quote-based — send users to the canonical page to request them.","lastUpdated":"2026-08-11T15:49:49.435Z","lastPublished":"2026-08-11T15:49:49.435Z","indexable":true}}