- 30th October 2006

Omnipolar Hall-effect Sensor Switches Suit Cellphones

Diodes Inc., announced the introduction of its Micro Power omnipolar Hall-effect sensor switch product family, with the release of the AH180.
The AH180's unique Patent Pending Hall sensor design fills the growing demand for lower power and higher sensitivity required in today's portable contact-less switch applications.
Currently, three packages are offered for the AH180: SC59, SIP-3, and the DFN-3. The sub-miniature DFN package stands at 2x2x0.6 mm, making the AH180 one of the smallest omnipolar switches in the market today.
To meet application and specific customer requirements, Diodes' superior packaging capability allows for design and production of new DFN package options with fast turnaround. Such flexibility, together with the exceptional power consumption performance, makes the AH180 a perfect fit for a wide range of end-user applications.
Ideally suited for lid position sensing in mobile flip-phones, including the latest razor-thin multimedia 3G mobile handsets, this sensor is also optimized for use in portable media players, handheld gaming devices, ultra mobile PCs, thin and light notebook PCs, industrial metering, and reed switch replacements, among others.
"The release of the new AH180 product family is another solid example of Diodes' customer driven approach to product innovation and is suitable for a broad array of high growth end market applications," commented Mark King, Senior VP, Sales and Marketing, of Diodes Incorporated. "This platform offers significant benefits to OEMs and will enable us to expand our position in the latest generation of high volume, portable electronic computing devices and mobile handsets."
The AH180 is the first in a new generation of low-voltage ultra sensitive Hall-Effect Sensor switches developed using an advanced CMOS process. An innovative clocking scheme is used to minimize the "ON" duty cycle thereby reducing power consumption and improving battery life.
The AH180 sensor operates with either magnetic south pole or north pole, eliminating the need for orientating the magnet's polarity during manufacturing. The Diodes, Inc. proprietary on-chip filters ensure that the presence (or absence) of magnetic fields is correctly interpreted, and the "ON" duty cycle is properly minimized. These filters protect the AH180 from the various impairments such as DC and RF noise, which are commonly present in electronic communication devices such as mobile phones.
Meanwhile, Diodes Inc., has signed an agreement to purchase the assets of APD Semiconductor, a privately held U.S.-based fabless discrete semiconductor company. The completion of the transaction is subject to the terms of the asset purchase agreement, the receipt of required approvals and other customary conditions.
The asset acquisition includes an approximate $8 m payment for patents, technology, trademarks and net working capital, which is in addition to a potential earnout provision. APD revenue is forecasted to be approximately $2.0 m for 2006, and the transaction is expected to be accretive to Diodes Inc., in 2007.

Web: http://www.diodes.com