February 24, 2014—Micrel Korea (CEO Young Jun Oh, www.micrel.com), an industry leader in high-performance linear and power solutions as well as LAN, timing and communications solutions, announced that it is supplying the MIC841/2 ultra-low power precision voltage comparator with on-chip voltage reference in an ultra-compact TDFN package. The TDFN package solution occupies only up to 2mm² of board space, making it ideal for battery-powered equipment or space-constrained applications. Additionally, the device's supply current is extremely low at typically 1.5μA, making it suitable for implementing portable applications. Samples can be ordered through Micrel Korea or its distributors.

Both the MIC841/2 devices are designed for voltage monitoring applications. External resistors are used to set the voltage monitor threshold value, and when this threshold is violated, the output polarity switches. Key application areas include smartphones, smart meters, PDAs, precision battery monitoring, and battery chargers.

The MIC842 integrates a voltage reference and comparator with fixed internal hysteresis, and two external resistors are used to set threshold voltage switching. The MIC841 provides similar functionality through user-adjustable hysteresis, and this device requires three external resistors to set the upper and lower threshold values (the difference between threshold voltages becomes the hysteresis voltage).

Both MIC841 and MIC842 devices are available with push-pull or open-drain outputs. The push-pull output can be configured as either active high or active low, while the open-drain output can only be configured as active low. The MIC841 is supplied in a 6-pin 1.6mm x 1.6mm TDFN package, and the MIC842 is supplied in a 4-pin 1.2mm x 1.6mm TDFN package, and is also available in Teeny™ 5-pin SC-70 package.