Purchasers and designers, who are involved in the evaluation of new components and technologies, are always looking for the highest performing parts that can help save board space and reduce costs in their next-generation designs. Some of the latest electronic components rolled out in the market deliver in all areas by saving board space, reducing cost, and simplifying design. Many of them aren’t just for mobile devices, they also target higher reliability markets such as automotive and RF communications.
Here is a sampling of some of those new products.
First up is Bosch Sensortec’s BHI160 and BHA250 MEMS sensor devices with an integrated sensor hub for Android smart phones. By offloading sensor processing to the BHI160 or BHA250, as well as buffering sensor data locally on the devices, the new devices significantly reduce system power consumption and extend battery life. Saving board space and reducing bill of materials, the new devices integrate a 3- or 6-axis MEMS sensor with the new Bosch Sensortec DSP "Fuser Core,” a 32-bit microcontroller that is optimized to execute Bosch Sensortec's sensor fusion and activity-recognition algorithms with ultra-low power consumption.
Another small MEMS device is the MEMS microvalve from DunAn Microstaq (DMQ). The company released its next-generation flagship silQflo Silicon Servo Valve (SSV), which achieves a 36 percent size reduction from its predecessor, the PDA-3.10, released in August 2013. The smaller footprint opens up new opportunities for overall weight reduction for compact designs and cost benefits, said the company.
In the passives market, AVX Corporation has claimed the highest Q 01005 multilayer ceramic capacitor (MLCC) available for ultra-high frequency (UHF) band applications (300 MHz–3 GHz). The first part number in the new CU Series of ultra-low equivalent series resistance (ESR) MLCCs, the CU10 01005 MLCC, exhibits typical Q values of 290 at 1 GHz for a 4-pF capacitance, which makes it suitable for reducing power consumption and improving battery efficiency in high frequency power amplifier circuits within multifunctional and multiband RF communication devices. These include smartphones, tablets, handheld scanners, camera sensor modules, and telecommunications equipment. As a side note, I would be interested in hearing about any production challenges around the board placement of 01005-packaged devices.
If you’re looking to save space with ESD protection, Vishay Intertechnology, Inc. has released a bidirectional symmetrical (BiSy) single-line ESD protection diode for portable electronics in an ultra-compact CLP0603 package. Measuring 0.6 mm x 0.3 mm with a very low height of 0.27 mm, the Vishay Semiconductors VBUS05B1-SD0 offers ultra-low capacitance and leakage current for the protection of high-speed data lines and antennas against transient voltage signals. Due to its short leads and small package size, the diode's line inductance is very low, allowing fast transients such as an ESD strike to be clamped with minimal over- or undershoots, said Vishay. It can be used to protect high-speed data ports, including HDMI, USB 3.0, and Thunderbolt in all kinds of small devices including smartphones, mobile phones, digital cameras, MP3 players, and portable gaming systems.
A new smart power switch from Texas Instruments benefits both purchasers and designers by saving board space, reducing BOM and simplifying design. TI has claimed the industry's first smart, high-side power switch with programmable current limit. Using the TPS1H100-Q1, designers can drive various loads in powertrain, body-electronics safety and driver-information systems. The highly integrated smart power switch can replace discrete components in powertrain and automotive body electronics. In addition, the TPS1H100-Q1 also offers 20 percent higher current-sense accuracy versus the competition to enable intelligent, real-time diagnosis of its loading conditions, said TI.
Another highly integrated device was released by Analog Devices. Touted as the only device of its kind to include an on-chip PLL (phase-locked loop) and eight-lane JESD204B interface, as well as an industry leading dynamic range performance in the 100- to 300-MHz band for complex IF transmitters, the AD9154 quad-channel, 2.4-GSPS, 16-bit D/A converter allows designers to use a single device to meet all of their requirements in multi-carrier GSM and LTE transmitters designed for wireless macro base stations, point-to-point microwave radio, military radios and radio test equipment. The new converter offers a variety of features optimized for complex IF (intermediate frequency) transmit applications, including complex digital modulation, input-signal power detection, and gain, phase and offset compensation.
If your company has recently announced a new component that meets the definition of triple-threat component, please submit it to me at gina.roos@epsnewsonline.com, and it may be highlighted in the next Hot Products Newsletter.
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