April 23, 2015 – ams (Country Manager Jong-Deok Lee), a company specializing in high-performance analog ICs and sensors, announced the release of a 1A synchronous buck converter featuring a wide input voltage range, high efficiency, and low standby current, which are essential for designs powered by single-cell lithium-ion batteries.

The new AS1382 step-down converter operates over an input range of 2.7–5.5V and is capable of output voltages as low as 0.6V. With a high efficiency of 96% and consuming only 95μA at no load, this product enables designers of lithium-ion battery-powered devices to reduce losses in power circuits and extend the operating time between charges. In shutdown mode, the device consumes only 0.04μA.

The AS1382, mounted in a 6-pin chip-scale package (WL-CSP6) with a 0.4mm pitch and a 1.22mm x 0.85mm width, allows for the selective use of internal fixed frequencies of 2MHz, 3MHz, or 4MHz, which enables the use of small inductors. In other words, circuits based on the AS1382 DC-DC converter are small enough to accommodate the highly integrated board designs required for mobile phones, portable media players, wearable devices, and the like.

The AS1382 provides a fixed output of 1.0V, 1.2V, 1.5V, or 1.8V, and a variable output of 0.61V to 3.35V. It supports a continuous load current of 1A at all output voltages and requires only one 10μF capacitor at the voltage output stage.

The Low-Ripple/Low-Noise modes supported by this step-down converter provide output ripple reduction and noise elimination, while the High-Efficiency mode further reduces losses when powering light loads and extends standby time in always-on battery operating environments. This device features a built-in synchronous switch, eliminating the need for an additional external Schottky diode.

Bernd Krafthoefer, Product Marketing Manager at ams, said, “Synchronous converters used in portable and battery-powered products are continuously creating opportunities for reducing power loss. By designing with the AS1382, which offers 96% peak efficiency and very low standby current, designers can obtain additional operating time value from the product’s lithium-ion battery system.”

The DC-DC step-down converter AS1382 is available in production quantities and is priced at $0.21 per unit in 1,000-unit orders. Evaluation boards for the AS1382 are available online from ams. For details and to request samples, please refer to www.ams.com/Step-Down-Converter/AS1382.