Taiyo Yuden Unveils SMT Micro DC/DC Converter
Taiyo Yuden (U.S.A.) Inc. (Schaumburg, IL) announced the release of the world's first surface-mountable Micro DC/DC Converter, the latest in the firm's line of ultra-compact, high-reliability power electronics modules. The new converter functions together with a portable or other handheld device's battery to provide a distributed power source that minimizes power loss through supply voltage control of the unit's RF power amplifier circuit.
The Micro DC/DC offers a high power output per unit volume of 20W/cc, and operates at up to 85 percent efficiency, allowing cell phones, PDAs, DSCs or other portable/handheld devices to conserve energy, according to Taiyo Yuden. The firm claims that the converter will allow a cell phone's talk time to increase from 180 to as long as 250 minutes. The converter accepts input voltages between 3.0V and 5.5V, and provides an adjustable output from 0.8V to 3.0Vdc at 350mA, with a typical ripple of 20mVp-p.
Taiyo Yuden claims that its advanced materials science and semiconductor mounting technology incorporate precise flip chip bonding with micron level control to achieve extremely small physical packaging, precise high-density component mounting and compatibility with standard tape-and-reel dispensers. The company's roadmap for the Micro DC/DC product calls for continued significan miniaturization, with next-generation devices offering up to a 500 percent increase in power-to-size ratio (100W/cc) by the third quarter of 2002. An intermediate stage, to be announced in April 2002 will double the power output of the current component to 40W/cc, the firm stated.
The new converter is currently available in production quantity in the buck converter only. Engineering samples of four other configurations -- boost 1, boost 2, buck boost and inverting -- are available now, and will be in full production next year. The devices are priced at $3.00 each in quantities of 1,000.
