Lower Energy Power Management for Cell Phones

Atmel Corp. has announced the release of its AT73C202 Power and Battery Management standard product for cellular phones and wireless platforms. Manufactured on Atmel's low-cost mainstream CMOS process, the AT73C202 includes all functions needed for a GSM phone to operate with the best power efficiency from a Lithium Polymer or Lithium-Ion battery, preserving its lifetime and autonomy.

The AT73C202 features a low-voltage 1.8V/300mA high-efficiency DC-to-DC converter, a set of 7X Low Drop Out Voltage Regulators, a Battery Charger, a 2.8V/1.8V SIM level shifter interface, a backup battery charger-regulator and also all the circuitry that enables the DC-to-DC converter soft start, reset generation, power supply sequencing, temperature and voltage supervision and other features. The sleep and low-power modes have been optimized in order to achieve extremely low current consumption (15uA max). The design has been optimized to minimize the number of external components as well as their package dimensions, which makes the AT73C202 suitable for any handheld, compact, modular form factor, battery powered applications.

"This level of integration and consequent cost reduction is an industry first in this application segment. It reflects Atmel's commitment to support manufacturers, OEM and ODM customers in their development of ultra-compact form factor products such as cellular modules, cellular terminals, PCMCIA cards, wireless modules, etc." commented Michele Casetta, Marketing Manager for Atmel's Power Management Product Line. "In addition, Atmel's modular System-on-Chip design methodology enables us to offer fast turnaround and low risk on customized versions of this product."

Atmel offers the AT73C202 in a 5X5 mm, 49-ball ultra-thin BGA in order to satisfy cellular phone manufacturers' minimum space needs. It is available now mounted on a reference design board or as engineering samples."

Posted to the site on 26th March 2003