Micrel Adds New ICs To Expanding Family of Smart Load Switches
Micrel Inc. launched new additions to its family of miniature high current load switches. The MIC94066/67/68/69 are all part of a family of smart high-side load switches. Housed in tiny 2mm x 2mm MLF®, packages these high output current switches are well-suited for portable applications such as cellular phones, PDAs, MP3 players, digital cameras, notebook PCs, barcode scanners, battery switch-over circuits and level translator applications. The ICs are currently available in volume, with pricing starting at $0.56 for 10K quantities.
"Battery life continues to be of paramount concern to manufactures of portable personal appliances," noted John Lee, Micrel's Director of Mixed-Signal and RF Products. "Switching subsystem power on and off as user demands change has become a common strategy for extending battery life. The new MIC940xx series, with its low quiescent current of 2µA and low shutdown current of less than 1µA, provides ideal solutions for power-sensitive, sub-5V or less applications."
The MIC94066/67/68/69 operate with inputs ranging from 1.8 to 5.5V and can be driven by 1.5V logic. They provide up to 2A of continuous current per channel via low on-resistance p-Channel MOSFETs with 2A of continuous current. PC board space is saved in portable applications with Micrel's low thermal resistance 2mm x 2mm package.
