The AS1310 DC-DC converter draws only 1 µA quiescent current, the industry’s lowest

Unterpremstaetten, Austria (November 17, 2010) – austriamicrosystems (SIX: AMS), a leading global designer and manufacturer of high-performance analog ICs, has introduced the AS1310, an ultra low quiescent current hysteretic step-up DC-DC converter optimized for light loads (60mA) and the highest efficiency -- up to 92 %. With 1 µA the AS1310 step-up converter also features the industry’s lowest quiescent current, operates over a wide 0.7 V to 3.6 V battery supply, and provides output voltages between 1.8 V and 3.3 V. Even at loads as light as 100 µA, efficiency still reaches 85%, significantly increasing battery life.

Since the supply voltage of many battery powered applications is moving from 3 V to 1.8 V, the AS1310 boost DC-DC converter was designed to be able to generate both; many competitive DC-DC converters are not able to do so. If the input voltage exceeds the output voltage the device goes into a feed-through mode and the input is directly connected to the output voltage. The features and performance of the AS1310 boost DC-DC converter make it very well suited for single- and dual-cell powered devices, including blood glucose meters, remote controls, hearing aids, wireless mouse or any light-load application. The AS1310 DC-DC converter is an especially good fit for applications in which a lot of time is spent in an idle mode and therefore draws only a small current.

In order to save power the AS1310 also features a shutdown mode in which it draws less than 100 µA. During shutdown, the battery is disconnected from the output. In addition, the AS1310 step-up DC-DC converter allows adjustable low battery detection. If the battery voltage decreases below the threshold defined by two external resistors, the output is pulled to logic low. This signal is used to indicate “low battery”, so no separate supervisory ICs are needed.

The AS1310 boost DC-DC converter is available in a TDFN 8-pin 2x2 mm package and operates over a temperature range of -40°C to +85ºC with a wide power supply range of 0.7 to 3.6 V.

Price & Availability

Available in volume now, the price for the AS1310 step-up DC-DC converter is $0.66 in 1000 piece quantities.

Technical Support

A demonstration board is available for the AS1310 DC-DC converter. For technical information, visit www.ams.com/DC-DC-converter/AS1310

About austriamicrosystems

austriamicrosystems is a leading designer and manufacturer of standard and customized high-performance analog ICs in the areas of power management, sensors & sensor interfaces and mobile infotainment. Complemented by its full service foundry services, the company focuses on the communications, industrial & medical and automotive markets. austriamicrosystems leverages almost 30 years of expertise in low power and high accuracy to provide industry-leading products, operating worldwide with more than 1,000 employees with its own state-of-the-art manufacturing and test facilities. austriamicrosystems is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange in Zurich (ticker symbol: AMS).