Wolfson Microelectronics ( www.wolfsonmicro.com ), a leading provider of mixed-signal semiconductors for consumer electronics, announced today the launch of the WM7210 and WM7220, a family of next-generation digital silicon MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) microphones.

Wolfson’s digital MEMS microphone, which is already attracting interest from leading consumer electronics manufacturers worldwide, combines features such as low power consumption, excellent audio capture, an excellent signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 58 dB, and low total harmonic distortion (THD) into a miniature, low-height package and is optimized for applications such as mobile phones, PCs, portable media players, digital still cameras, and navigation devices.

The WM7210 and WM7220 complement Wolfson’s analog MEMS microphone product family, which was announced in 2008 and is currently in mass production. In particular, based on Wolfson’s proprietary CMOS/MEMS membrane technology, they provide the highest stability and excellent performance for new digital devices, and are designed to withstand the high temperatures required for automated flow solder assembly, which used to damage existing microphones.

Wolfson's digital microphones demonstrate the lowest level of total harmonic distortion (THD) performance even at very high sound pressure levels. Just as high frequencies are sometimes distorted by microphones, low THD is essential for providing clear and crisp crystal-clear sound.

In addition, the WM7210 and WM7220 improve battery life through ultra-low power consumption in power saving mode. When the timer detects that the microphone's frequency has dropped below a certain level, the microphone automatically switches to sleep mode, driving only a few micro-amplifiers.

In addition, each microphone is integrated with a high-performance ADC that outputs an audio data stream in a single-bit Pulse Density Modulated (PDM) format, while the microphone output can be set to left or right to accommodate applications requiring stereo driving.

"The WM7210 and WM7220, which provide the lowest level of distortion performance and excellent signal-to-noise ratio performance, guarantee Wolfson-quality performance and are the most ideal solutions for a wide range of consumer applications," said Nigel Burgess, Manager of Wolfson MEMS Microphones.

WM7210 was designed as a thin package of 4mm x 3mm x 1mm, and WM7220 was designed as a package of 4.72mm x 3.76mm x 1.25mm.

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