Ieper, Belgium — Melexis has launched the second member of the SensorEyeC series of optical sensors aimed at high-volume automotive, industrial and consumer applications. The MLX75305 light-to-voltage SensorEyeC is said to deliver a long lifetime, exceeding 15 years.
The MLX75305 is an integrated sensor IC that includes the photodiode, transimpedance amplifier and linear voltage output stage in the sensor chip. This guarantees stable light responsivity over time and over temperature, and also significantly improves noise behavior when compared to designs that use discrete photodiodes, Melexis said. It also simplifies application design by requiring fewer external components.
Undergoing high-temperature operating lifetime (HTOL) testing, the SensorEyeC devices are baked in an oven at 150°C and remain powered-on during a total test run time of more than 500 hours. This test accelerates the aging process of the silicon by a factor of 258 for sensor operations at 55°C, resulting in an equivalent continuous operating lifetime of more than 132,000 hours. Because all sensors performed well after the aging test, their lifetime is rated to exceed 15 years, according to the company.
The MLX75305 is suited for measuring ambient light or for controlling LED light in LCD backlight dimming applications including televisions, notebook computers, mobile phones, GPS receivers and portable media players. The device can also be used for hand presence detection in applications such as water taps and hand dryers, and automotive applications including automatic light dimming of instrument panels and displays, headlights on/off control and hand presence detection for opening doors.
The integrated light sensor features a highly linear voltage output, light responsivity that is relatively independent of temperature, and very high positional accuracy. Housed in a
DFN open cavity package (3 x 3 x 0.65 mm), this package provides pin-to-photodiode accuracy better than ±85 microns. The sensor is also available in a SO8 package.
The MLX75305 operates over an extended operating temperature range of -40°C to +125°C that meets AEC-Q100 automotive specifications. A consumer version up to +85°C is available also. The device is lead-free solder reflow compatible for 260°C peak process temperatures.
Pricing: $0.30 range for medium-volume quantities.
Availability: Lead time is 16 weeks ARO.
Product information: MLX75305
Melexis, www.melexis.com
