• Providing industry-leading production volume and quality with world-class MEMS manufacturing technology
• Ultra-small motion recognition mechanism for smart devices such as mobile phones and tablets
• High accuracy, fast response time, and ultra-compact size

August 27, 2012, Seoul – STMicroelectronics (ST), a global semiconductor company providing a wide range of electronic applications and the world's leading MEMS manufacturer, has launched the L3GD20H gyroscope for the latest motion recognition applications. This product boasts the lowest power consumption and highest performance, while being the smallest in the industry.

ST's L3GD20H measures 3x3mm and is 1mm high, making it the smallest product in the industry. Despite being about half the size of conventional products, it offers improvements in resolution, accuracy, stability, and response time. This enables the motion recognition mechanisms themselves to be made smaller in smart consumer devices such as mobile phones, tablets, game consoles, digital cameras, and industrial tools. Through ST's world-class MEMS manufacturing processes, it also delivers industry-leading production volume and quality.

These micro-gyroscopes are also accelerating the practical application of somewhat experimental projects, such as wearable electronics. An example of this is the smart suit prototype that ST unveiled earlier this year to demonstrate iBMR capabilities. This feature is expected to further enhance various applications, including augmented reality, sports training aids, and medical treatments.
Small, low-power sensors like the L3GD20H can be integrated into clothing and sports equipment, as well as increasingly smaller and thinner smart devices. This opens up new opportunities to develop new and interesting products and services. “In particular, it will see greater benefits in smartphones, tablets, prosthetics, medical devices, product tracking, and power tools,” said Roberto De Nuccio, Business Development Manager for ST’s Motion MEMS.

Additional Product Information and Features
Along with accelerometers, magnetometers, and iNEMO inertial modules, ST’s MEMS gyroscopes serve as the foundation for the development of innovative new products and applications, ranging from context-sensitive UIs, augmented reality, and sports games to industrial solutions such as container tracking and emergency stop systems. In February 2012, market research firm IHS iSuppli predicted that the market for these MEMS devices would more than double by 2015, reaching $42.5 billion. In particular, 3-axis gyroscopes such as the L3GD20H are expected to account for over $900 million of this total.

In addition to the ultra-miniaturization of state-of-the-art products, ST’s L3GD20H can reduce power consumption by up to 25% compared to existing products, thereby improving battery efficiency. Furthermore, the time taken to get ready for operation after power-on is 80% faster, which can increase overall customer satisfaction. Finally, because output noise is reduced by 60%, hardware and software design is simplified, and communication speeds with the host system are improved, making the performance of the application itself faster.

This gyroscope has a register structure similar to the existing L3GD20, allowing designers to easily reuse existing software code. This means that time-to-market can be shortened and development costs can be reduced. Another advantage is benefiting from ST’s sensor fusion technology development environment.

Key Features:
• Industry's smallest 3x3x1mm size - 25% lower power consumption, 60% lower output noise, 80% faster setup time
• 3 full scale options available (245/500/2000 dps)
• I2C/SPI 2-line digital interface
• Integration of low-to-high frequency pass filters in user-selectable bandwidths
• Power off and sleep mode
• Built-in temperature sensor and FIFO

Sampling of the L3GD20H in a pinless surface mount LGA-16 package will begin in the third quarter of 2012, and mass production is scheduled to enter the fourth quarter at a price of $2.6 per 1,000 units. Pricing options for larger quantities are available upon request.