Micrel (News - Alert), a provider of high bandwidth communications and Ethernet IC solutions, has unveiled its new family of low drop out (LDO) regulators, the MIC5326/27/37. These new family of devices feature single output, low quiescent current, and are ideal for voracious power demanding devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), MP3s, personal navigation devices (PNDs) and hand held medical instruments.

 

For those who are not familiar with low dropout ( LDO) regulator, it is a direct current linear voltage regulator that operates at a very small input-output differential voltage and are primarily integrated with power field effect transistor (FET) and a differential amplifier (error amplifier).

 

Micrel's new family of LDO regulators can source up to 300 mAmp and consumes only 24 micro Amp of quiescent current, but can still maintain low dropout performance even in a compact thermally-enhanced 1.2mm x 1.6mm micro lead frame (MLF) package. All these combinations of high performance and low power consumption features make the new family of regulators suitable for all portable hand held devices.

 

Other key features of the new family of LDO regulators include: fast transient response to any load change condition; high PSRR( power supply ripple rejection); both current limit protection and thermal shutdown protection; zero-off-mode current state that draws virtually no current when disabled; and operating junction temperature range from -40°C to 125°C.

 

The MIC5326 LDO regulator is capable of sourcing 150mA of output current while consuming only 24µA of operating current. It has a low dropout voltage of 85mV at 150mA. It has input voltage range of 2.3V to 5.5V.

 

The MIC5327 LDO regulator is capable of sourcing 300mA of output current while consuming only 24µA of operating current. This regulator has low dropout voltage of 180mV at 300mA with a input voltage range of 2.3V to 5.5V.

 

The MIC5337 LDO regulator is also capable of sourcing 300mA of output current while consuming only 24µA of operating current, but features internal auto discharge. It also has a low dropout voltage of 180mV at 300mA with a input voltage range of 2.3V to 5.5V. 

 

"Today's portable applications continue to converge features, while demanding improved operating times from a single battery charge," said Andy Khayat, Micrel's director of marketing for portable power products. "Micrel's new MIC5326/27/37 family of low quiescent current LDO regulators gives customers the perfect solution where small footprint and maximum battery life are key factors."