Oct 8 2015
mCube, provider of the world’s smallest MEMS motion sensors, today announced the sampling of its new MC3635 3-axis accelerometer featuring the industry’s lowest power consumption and a microscopic 1.6x1.6 mm Land Grid Array (LGA) package.
The MC3635 will enable developers to design a complete 3-axis inertial solution, with only a single resistor, in less than 1/10th of a square centimeter of space on a printed circuit board. These advancements will enable a new generation of wearable devices and Internet of Moving Things (IoMT) that require significantly extended battery life and very small form factors.
As the newest member of mCube’s MC3600 family of ultra-low power, high-performance 3-axis accelerometers, the MC3635 is built upon the company’s award-winning 3D monolithic single-chip MEMS technology platform, which is widely adopted in mobile handsets with over 100 million units shipped. With the mCube approach, the MEMS sensors are fabricated directly on top of IC electronics in a standard CMOS fabrication facility. Advantages of this monolithic approach include smaller size, higher performance, lower cost, and the ability to integrate multiple sensors onto a single chip.
“The MC3635 delivers on the miniaturization and extended battery life needed to enable the next generation of fashionable wearable products,” said Ben Lee, president and CEO, mCube. “As IoT devices continue to be widely adopted around the world, mCube will continue to deliver new sensing innovations that help extend battery life to the point where the batteries last the lifetime of the products. mCube has taken the next step in delivering the best accelerometer solution to IoT developers in terms of size and power savings.”
About the MC3635 Accelerometer
The new MC3635 accelerometer consumes less than 0.9uA of current at 25Hz Output Data Rate (ODR), which is less than half the power consumption of competing accelerometers. In order to further reduce system power consumption, it offers an ultra-low power wake mode that consumes 0.3uA at 1Hz ODR and sniff mode that consumes only 0.4uA at 6Hz ODR. These modes are ideal for wearables during periods of rest or inactivity. In addition to these ultra-low power modes, the MC3635 has been optimized by increasing its Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) bus speed and reducing the number of transactions per SPI transfer, both of which further extends the battery life of systems.
Samples of the world’s smallest 1.6x1.6mm LGA accelerometers are available to selected lead customers now. General sampling is scheduled for December 2015 with volume production scheduled for the first quarter of 2016.
Internet of Moving Things
By 2020, analysts predict more than 50 billion1 devices will be connected to the Internet and a large percentage of those devices will be in motion. From smartphones and tablets to smart clothing and wearables, mCube is enabling a new era called the “Internet of Moving Things”, where the movement and context of everyday objects and devices can be measured, monitored and analyzed, generating valuable data and insights that will transform consumer experiences.