ZMDI unleashes signal conditioner for miniature MEMS sensors
The firm's device is ideal for applications designed for harsh environments
ZMD AG (ZMDI), a Dresden-based semiconductor company that specialises in enabling energy efficient solutions, has launched the ZSSC3027. This is a 16-bit sensor signal conditioning IC (SSC) with an integrated 18-bit digital signal processor (DSP) for linearisation and calibration functions.
As a global supplier of analogue and mixed signal solutions for automotive, industrial, medical, information technology and consumer applications, ZMDI introduces the ZSSC3027 to expand its family of 16-bit SSC ICs for calibrated resistive sensor modules.
Optimised for high-resolution industrial, consumer and medical applications, this sensor interface IC combines the 18-bit DSP, high accuracy amplification, and 16-bit precision analogue-to-digital conversion with special features for battery-driven low-power devices. These include 930µA typical overall current consumption, ultra-low 20nA typical sleep mode current, and a 1.7 to 3.6V power supply range.
The device features an intelligent power-save scheme to ensure lowest overall current consumption and an internal sensor supply regulator with an excellent power supply rejection ratio (PSRR), eliminating the need for an external buffer capacitor. The ZSSC3027's attributes make it especially well-suited for applications designed for harsh environments.
Digital compensation of signal offset, sensitivity, temperature and non-linearity is accomplished via an internal correction algorithm with coefficients stored on-chip in a reliable, nonvolatile, multiple-time programmable memory.
Programming is simple via the ZSSC3027's serial interface with the PC-controlled calibration software provided in ZMDI's Evaluation Kit. The measured and corrected bridge values are provided at the digital output pins as SPI or I2C™ (I2C™ is a trademark of NXP). The ZSSC3027 can also provide a corrected temperature output measured with an internal sensor.
The ZSSC3027 output is an almost noise-free 16-bit signal, which is well suited for the design of high-precision measurement systems, including barometric altitude measurement used in portable navigation or emergency call systems, altitude measurement for car navigation, pressure measurements inside hard disks, and weather forecasting equipment.
Modern products, such as motion sensing equipment or multi-function sensor devices, can greatly benefit from the ZSSC3027's precision. High-precision medical applications include medical gas control, medical infusion pumps, ambulatory non-invasive pump systems and occlusion detection systems.
"Energy-efficiency is what we do best. We designed the ZSSC3027 to provide our customers with the miniaturized form factor required for their next generation products," according to Michael Georgi, Product Marketing Manager at ZMDI. "The ZSSC3027 is designed for stacked die assembly together with a dedicated MEMS sensor element to provide the lowest form factor for MEMS-based sensors on the market. A typical application is barometric pressure sensors for mobile devices."
Features of the ZSSC3027:
Quadratic form factor, optimised for stacked die assembly
Wide operating temperature range:-40°C to 85°C
Accuracy better than ±0.10 percent full-scale output
Broad power supply range: 1.7 to 3.6 V
Low overall current consumption: 930uA typical
Sleep mode current: 20nA typical
Noise-free 16-bit output signal
Internal temperature measurement and signal processing
Fully-corrected digital output signal simplifying the system design
Power supply rejection ratio of up to 90dB at 2V
Availability and Pricing
The ZSSC3027 is in full production and is available as die for wafer bonding. Die, samples and wafers are available from ZMDI.
For 10,000 pieces, the ZSSC3027 is priced at € 0.70 per unit or US $ 0.95 per unit.
