New Industry Products

Nanopower PMICs Extend Battery Life for Always-On Connected Devices

December 10, 2017 by Paul Shepard

Dialog Semiconductor plc unveiled its first nanopower PMICs, the DA9230 and DA9231. The two new PMICs are the smallest of their class on the market, enabling longer battery operating time and enhanced efficiency for always-on IoT applications, consuming only 750nA of total input current with the buck enabled and under no load conditions.

With a predicted 12% annual increase in the number of connected devices worldwide from 2017 to 2030, consumer demands for increased efficiency are growing, particularly when it comes to battery life and functionality.

However, engineers have faced challenges when trying to balance small form factors with the need for greater battery life, often resulting in devices with inefficient power management or limited battery capacity.

Dialog's DA9230 and DA9231 will enhance the battery life and power efficiency of common IoT devices such as wearables, smart door locks, portable medical devices and remote sensors. One of the strongest features is the form factor, as the DA9230 and DA9231 are the smallest PMICs on the market when measuring up against other comparable chipsets.

Other PMICs on offer either lack multiple rails and I2C configurability in one chip, or take up twice the size as Dialog's offering. Offered in a small footprint to fit into space-constrained applications, the PMICs improve battery life with ultra-low quiescent current, high-efficiency and configurability.

Designed to support current and future platforms, the DA9231 features a 300mA buck together with a 100mA LDO and the DA9230 features a standalone buck. For both devices, the buck regulator's minimum output voltage of 0.6 V enables powering advanced 14- or 10-nm geometry SOCs. With a minimum supply voltage of 2.5V, these devices are also ready to support upcoming silicon anode battery technology.

"Our first nanopower offering, the most compact and efficient PMICs we have created, exemplifies Dialog's leadership position in the power management space," said Paul Wheeler, VP Mobile Systems, Dialog Semiconductor.

"As IoT and wearable devices continue to flood the market and consumer demands for extended battery life and additional functionality increase, these new PMICs give designers the flexibility, space and power to improve always-on battery-powered applications," concluded Wheeler.

Dialog's DA9230 and DA9231 PMICs are sampling now and will be available through Avnet in the first quarter of 2018.