On-resistance and gate drive — what sets the conduction and switching budget
At 31 A continuous drain current, the I²R loss at full rated current reaches about 28 W, which must be managed against the 60 W package thermal limit. The gate charge of 20.2 nC at 10 V means a standard gate driver with 1 A peak source/sink capability can switch this FET in the tens-of-nanoseconds range; for higher-frequency designs above 100 kHz, the gate-drive power dissipation becomes a design consideration. The 1340 pF input capacitance at 25 V drain bias is consistent with a medium-charge device in this voltage class.
AEC-Q101 and the 175°C junction — qualified for the harsh environment
The AEC-Q101 qualification (automotive grade) means this part has passed stress tests including high-temperature reverse bias, temperature cycling, and autoclave. The -55°C to 175°C operating junction range exceeds the typical automotive under-hood requirement of 150°C, providing margin in high-ambient applications like engine control units or transmission modules. The maximum gate-source voltage of ±16 V accommodates standard 12 V automotive gate drives with headroom for transient overvoltage.
DPAK footprint and thermal management
The exposed metal tab is the drain terminal and provides the primary thermal path. For 60 W maximum dissipation at case temperature, adequate PCB copper area on the drain pad — typically 1 to 2 square inches per layer — is needed to keep junction temperature within limits under full load. The tab is electrically live at drain potential, so the PCB layout must account for isolation spacing.