Freescale Digital Pressure Sensor Enables Increased Storage Capacity in Hard Disk Drives

Compact, Low-Power Sensor is Ideal for Laptops, PCs, Mobile Internet Devices and
Other Consumer and Industrial Applications
TAIPEI--(Business Wire)--
Freescale Semiconductor has introduced its first digital output pressure sensor
to help simplify system design and enable increased memory storage density for
hard disk drives (HDD) used in laptops and PCs. Based on micro-electromechanical
systems (MEMS) technology, the MPL115A digital sensor provides high-accuracy
barometric and altimetry functions in a compact package for a variety of
cost-sensitive consumer and industrial applications.

In addition to barometric pressure sensing in HDD, barometry and altimeter
applications, the MPL115A pressure sensor offers absolute pressure measurement
for industrial equipment, such as desktop weather stations and vacuum equipment.
Medical applications include health monitoring, wound management and respiratory
systems. With the rise in demand for safety and security products, the MPL115A
adds another dimension of environmental sensing via ambient pressure measurement
and is also capable of wireless remote monitoring.

"In an effort to serve our pressure sensor customers in applications such as
altimeters, hard disk drives and portable medical equipment, we`ve delivered an
innovative sensor solution that incorporates an easy-to-use digital interface,
small package and low-power operation," said Demetre Kondylis, vice president
and general manager of Freescale`s Sensor and Actuator Solutions Division. "The
MPL115A digital pressure sensor is available in one of our most compact
packages, which helps save board space. And, its power consumption is lower than
similar pressure sensors on the market today."

About the MPL115A digital pressure sensor

Freescale's MPL115A digital pressure sensor can communicate on inter-integrated
circuit (I2C) and serial peripheral interface (SPI) buses, providing a direct
connection to the embedded system microcontroller (MCU) for communication
simplicity and flexibility. This architecture differs from most pressure sensors
that communicate using analog signals and require an MCU with an on-chip
analog-to-digital converter (ADC) or a separate ADC component within the system.
Digital pressure sensors such as Freescale`s MPL115A provide additional
flexibility and cost savings by eliminating the need for an ADC.

The MPL115A sensor`s low-profile 3 x 5 x 1.2 mm LGA package enables increased
integration and makes the device ideal for portable applications where board
space-savings is important. Battery- and solar-powered applications benefit from
the device`s low current consumption at 1 microamp in sleep mode and 5 microamps
in active mode. The digital sensor is well-suited for HDD systems where pressure
measurement is used to optimize the pickup head ride height, which helps
maximize the storage capacity of the disk.

The MPL115A system includes a pressure sensor and a conditioning IC housed
within a low-profile package. The conditioning IC contains a temperature sensor
with an ADC, read-only memory (ROM) for coefficient storage and a simple I2C/SPI
slave interface.

Exceptional energy efficiency

The MPL115A sensor has been designed with energy efficiency in mind. It offers
improved performance and is engineered to deliver up to 100 times less energy
consumption than competing products. To conserve power, the device has special
operational modes that allow designers to manage power consumption, based on the
needs of their applications, by switching between these modes. For instance, the
energy-saving standby mode acts as the default, and active mode occurs only
during measurement before returning to standby mode.

MPL115A sensor product features:

* Digital output options

* MPL115A1T1 for SPI applications
* MPL115A2T1 for I2C applications

* Low-profile 3 x 5 x 1.2 mm LGA metal package
* Low current consumption

* Sleep mode: 1 microamp
* Active mode: 5 microamps at one measurement per second

* Temperature and pressure coefficients available for temperature compensation
* Convenient pressure conversion in units of kiloPascals (kPa)
* 50 to 115 kPa absolute pressure measurement range
* 1 kPa accuracy
* Operating temperature range from -40ºC to 105ºC
* 2.4 to 5.5 Volt power supply

Development support, pricing and availability

MPL115A samples are available through the following evaluation kits. The
KITMPL115A1SPI evaluation board demonstrates the SPI communication protocol. The
KITMPL115A2I2C evaluation board demonstrates the I2C communication protocol.
Both evaluation kits are at a suggested resale price of $15 (USD).

The MPL115A1T1 sensor for SPI applications and MPL115A2T1 sensor for I2C
applications are available for a suggested resale price of $4.25 (USD) in
10,000-piece quantities.

Freescale is a leading high-volume sensor provider with an extensive portfolio
of acceleration, pressure and proximity touch sensors. With almost 30 years of
innovation in MEMS-based sensors, Freescale is leveraging its experience in
high-volume, high-quality manufacturing for automotive applications into sensor
product solutions for the growing consumer and industrial markets. For more
information, visit www.freescale.com/files/pr/sensors.html.

About Freescale Semiconductor

Freescale Semiconductor is a global leader in the design and manufacture of
embedded semiconductors for the automotive, consumer, industrial and networking
markets. The privately held company is based in Austin, Texas, and has design,
research and development, manufacturing or sales operations around the world.
www.freescale.com.

Reader Inquiry Response
Freescale Semiconductor
P.O. Box 17927
Denver, CO 80217 USA

Freescale and the Freescale logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of
Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. All other product
or service names are the property of their respective owners. © Freescale
Semiconductor, Inc. 2009.

Freescale Semiconductor
Americas:
Dale Weisman, 512-895-2795
dale.weisman@freescale.com
or
Lois Paul & Partners
Travis Williams, 512-638-5315
travis_williams@lpp.com
or
Asia-Pacific:
Gloria Shiu, (85-22) 666-8237
gloria.shiu@freescale.com
or
Europe, Middle East and Africa:
Laurent Massicot, (33-16) 935-7712
laurent.massicot@freescale.com
or
India:
Anjali Srivastava, (91-120) 395-0000
anjali.srivastava@freescale.com
or
Japan:
Masako Tanikawa, (81-3) 5437-9128
masako.tanikawa@freescale.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009