1998-10-05 , ESC-9874
Technology News From Philips Semiconductors

With continued advances in low-power systems-on-silicon and high energy density battery technologies, the latest smart mobile products such as PDAs and mobile phones quite literally fit in the palm of your hand. To facilitate this ever increasing trend towards miniaturisation, Philips Semiconductors, a world leader in device packaging and the largest European semiconductor manufacturer, is introducing new versions of its  TEA1102 and  TEA1103 battery charger ICs in ultra-small 20-lead SSOPs (shrink small outline packages) at Power '98 (October 4-6 in Santa Clara, USA). In addition, it's new TEA1207 DC/DC Converter IC is packaged in an 8-lead small outline package that allows a high-efficiency 0.5 A DC/DC converter circuit to be accommodated in only 0.16 inch² of printed circuit board area - less than the size of a paper clip.

"Our ability to put these ICs in such small packages is a direct consequence of their extremely high operating efficiencies, which keep power dissipation on the chip to the absolute minimum," said Leo Warmerdam, product marketing manager for Philips Semiconductors' power management products.

The TEA1102 is a single-chip, universal fast-charge controller for NiCd, NiMH, Li-ion and sealed lead-acid batteries. The TEA1103 is a lower cost fast-charge controller for NiCd and NiMH battery packs. To illustrate how little area these devices take up in their new ultra-small SSOP packages, the demonstration board measures only 0.7 inch².

The TEA1207 is a brand new low-voltage up/down DC/DC converter that delivers output currents anywhere between a few milliamps and 0.5 A with an operating efficiency in excess of 90%. Intended primarily for down-converting the output of a mobile phone's Li-ion battery to the 2 V or 1.5 V required by its CMOS logic, the TEA1207 only requires the addition of a very small inductor and capacitors, plus a single Schottky diode, to complete the DC/DC converter. Philips Semiconductors has a demonstration pc board for the TEA1207 on which this entire circuit only occupies 0.16 inch².

"Smaller packages also have other advantages," commented Leo Warmerdam, "They are frequently cheaper and easier to assemble, and they are more environmentally friendly because they are manufactured using less energy and materials."

Philips Semiconductors, a division of Royal Philips Electronics NV, headquartered in Eindhoven, The Netherlands, is the ninth largest semiconductor supplier in the world. Philips Semiconductors' innovations in digital audio, video, and mobile technology position the company as a leader in the consumer, multimedia and wireless communications markets. Sales offices are located in all major markets around the world and are supported by regional customer application labs.

Power '98, The Sixth International Conference on Power Requirements for Mobile Computing and Wireless Communications (October 4-6, Santa Clara, California, USA) is a highly specialist exhibition that provides manufacturers of portable computing and cellular communication devices with the opportunity to keep pace with the latest hardware and software developments in power supplies and power management for mobile products and services. The conference, for which Philips Semiconductors is one of the sponsors, has attracted some 700 delegates from around the world. Its extensive program of technical paper is accompanied by an exhibition of products and services.