Industry’s first 0.9V drive ECOMOS MOSFETs
12 July 2010
ROHM Semiconductor has released the first MOSFETs capable of drive operation from 0.9V.
Based on the company’s fabrication technology, the ECOMOS devices exhibit an improvement in RDS(ON) values; particularly when low gate voltages are required.
This results in power consumption around 90% lower than comparable devices such as bipolar transistors when operated at ultra-low voltages; making these suitable for deployment in power circuits of portable devices. .
As battery-driven portables become smaller, the need for greater compactness and lower energy consumption continues to grow. Many ICs are capable of operating from 1V or less due to their highly efficient circuitry. However, up to now the lowest drive voltage of MOSFETs required for external switching applications for ICs, has been at least 1.2V.
Therefore it has been necessary to step up the voltage to 1.2V or higher using a boost circuit or bipolar transistor generating disadvantages such as high loss during driving, a complicated circuit design, as well as reduced efficiency. So far it has been difficult to lower the threshold voltage in MOSFETs due to current leakage at high temperatures and the difficulty in keeping MOSFETs off at drive voltages below 1.2V. By optimising the MOSFET gate oxide layer and channel profile, ROHM has succeeded in controlling current leakage, making 0.9V drive possible with a stable OFF state. This enables operation using a single dry-cell battery (1.2V, termination voltage 0.9V) without requiring a step-up circuit.
The improved electrical performance combined with ROHM’s packaging design provides excellent power dissipation and a small device footprint in smaller, lower profile packages. This adds up to greater energy saving, a longer battery life, a simplified circuit design as well as the reduction of external parts. Target applications are mobile phones, digital cameras, portable audio players, electronic dictionaries, IC recorders, smart phones, LED control, pre-drive blocks, solar batteries, muting circuits, and low-side circuits.
Contact Details and Archive...
Related Articles...
Most Viewed Articles...