Fujitsu Launches New Power Management IC Products

Fujitsu Semiconductor Co., Ltd. announced the launch of two new power management IC products, MB39C811 DC/DC step-down converter and MB39C831 DC/DC step-up converter developed for energy collection. Samples of new products are scheduled to begin in June this year.

The MB39C811 buck converter achieves world-leading performance in ultra-low power operation with only 1.5μA quiescent current. In addition, the MB39C811 is the world's first chip that uses only one power management IC device for simultaneous use of light and vibration to generate energy.

The MB39C831 boost converter integrates the MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) function to automatically store power in response to changes in the surrounding environment, such as collecting electrical energy based on changes in ambient light and collecting thermal energy according to changes in ambient temperature. This feature allows the boost converter to store energy collected from various sources very efficiently.

These new products not only help achieve batteryless technologies in the wireless network space, such as energy management in homes and buildings, wireless sensor networks on farms, but also extend the battery life of portable devices.

Energy harvesting collects or collects the tiny energy released in the surrounding environment, including light and vibration, and converts it into electrical energy. In addition to other potential applications, energy harvesting can also be a power source for sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks, helping to achieve a low-carbon society.

Fujitsu's two new power management ICs have played an important role in promoting the commercialization of energy harvesting technology.

The MB39C811 is a very efficient DC/DC buck converter with a built-in low-loss bridge rectifier. By optimizing the circuit layout, the MB39C811 achieves ultra-low power operation with 1.5μA quiescent current, which contributes to the successful development of batteryless technology in the field of sensor devices (Figure 1). In addition, the MB39C811 can be configured to eight different output voltages, thus providing up to 100mA of output current. The ultra-low power circuit technology used by the MB39C811 is jointly developed by Fujitsu Semiconductor and Fujitsu Laboratories.

The MB39C831 is a synchronous rectification DC/DC boost converter. For efficient charging of lithium-ion batteries, the converter uses power obtained from single-cell or multi-cell solar cells or thermal electron generators. MB39C831 has built-in MPPT function (see product summary for details). Since the maximum power point varies due to light level and temperature, this function can collect maximum power by tracking the collector's maximum power point. The MB39C831 also has protective features that protect the lithium battery from safe charging. The MB39C831's low-voltage circuit allows the system to start with only 0.35V, which is ideal for a wide range of applications, including wireless sensor networks (Figure 2).

These two products have been certified by the Fujitsu Group as "ultra-green" products, which are recognized by the market in terms of superior environmental characteristics compared to other products we offer or other products on the market.