Micrel's New High-side Load Switches Enhance Battery Life for Handheld Applications

(Product News, 18 Sep 2007)

Micrel Inc. has launched the MIC94070/1/2/3, a series of high-side load switches that extend Micrel's industry-leading family of high-side load switch products. The new devices are aimed at a wide variety of cost effective, mass-market handheld, battery-powered consumer devices, including cell phones, digital cameras and personal entertainment consoles.

"Battery-powered consumer electronics products demand IC design solutions that are both small and economical, particularly for handheld device applications," said John Lee, Micrel's Director of Mixed-Signal and RF Products. "The MIC94070/1/2/3 series addresses the most challenging requirements of today's mass market consumer devices by offering a footprint-conscious design with low component cost. This combination gives designers the best of all worlds—low price, small footprint, and excellent performance."

The MIC94070/1/2/3 family compliments Micrel's industry-leading MIC94060/1/2/3 high side load switch products. The original family addresses high-end consumer devices such as high performance smart phones. The new ICs now provide mass market consumer device manufacturers with a cost-effective alternative that still features Micrel's high quality.

The MIC94070/1/2/3 all feature a typical RDSON of 120m¦¸. The devices operate with inputs ranging from 1.7V to 5.5V. Each IC can be driven by a mere 1.5V of logic, which is accomplished by incorporating a novel built-in level shift circuitry that allows low voltage logic to control higher voltage supplies. Battery time is greatly extended in portable applications due to the low operating current of 2µA and shutdown current of less than 1µA. The MIC94070 and MIC94071 both have rapid turn-on, while the MIC94072 and MIC94073 provide a slew rate controlled soft-start turn-on of 800µs (typical) that prevents in-rush current. In addition, the MIC94071 and MIC94073 provide an active load discharge circuit that insures capacitive loads retain no charge when the main switch is in an OFF state. The MIC94070/1/2/3 series are available housed in the thin 4-pin 1.2x1.6mm MLF and Teeny SC-70-6 packages.

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