A new process technology allows system designers to avoid adding external signal conditioning, signal biasing, and external op amps in industrial-control and medical applications. Analog Devices calls this process iCMOS, and the company has used it to launch a 15-chip family.
An iCMOS chip can mix and match 5-V CMOS elements with higher-voltage 16-, 24-, or 30-V CMOS circuitry. The resulting products combine small size, low power, and high performance.
The process technology also makes it possible to integrate memory for post-fabrication configuration. Analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) can then be adjusted to account for integral nonlinearity, offset gain, or other parameters. Software switching would let industrial systems manufacturers design a single iCMOS component into multiple products, changing the input-voltage range according to each application.
The first iCMOS chips include a quad 16-bit digital-to-analog converter (DAC); several true bipolar-input, multichannel ADCs with 12- to 16-bit resolution; a high-precision 5- to 16-V rail-to-rail op amp; high-voltage switches; and multiplexers supporting ±15-V signals.
Pricing for these chips ranges from $0.78 to $27, indicating the versatility of the iCMOS process.
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