Ambient Light Photo Sensor supports slim mobile phones.

Avago Technologies Feb 28, 2006

Press Release Summary:

Supplied in miniature, 6-pin, ChipLED lead-free surface mount package measuring 1.6 x 1.5 x 0.55 mm, Model APDS-9003 conserves battery power in portable devices by detecting amount of ambient light, then signaling device to turn on/off display's backlight and keypad light. With 2.4-5.5 V supply, unit offers 135 mA photo current at 100 lux. It can also be used for turning on/off indoor and outdoor lighting, street lighting, and electronic signs and signals.

Original Press Release:

Avago Technologies Announces Low-Cost, Ambient Light Photo Sensor in Lower-Height ChipLED Surface-Mount Package

Sensor's 0.55-mm High Package Supports Slimmer Mobile Phone Designs

BARCELONA, Spain, 3GSM World Congress, Feb. 13, 2006 -- Avago Technologies today announced a lower height and shorter version of its innovative analog-output ambient light photo sensor for mobile, consumer, commercial and industrial products. The Avago APDS-9003 sensor is supplied in a miniature six pin ChipLED lead-free surface-mount package with dimensions of 1.6 mm x 1.5 mm x 0.55 mm.

Avago Technologies' ambient light sensors conserve battery power in mobile phones, PDAs, notebook PCs, portable DVD players, MP3 players, camcorders and digital cameras by detecting the amount of ambient light, then signaling the portable device when to turn on/off its display's backlight and keypad light. In large panel displays, the APDS-9003 can lower LCD brightness to reduce eye glare and extend the life of the display. The Avago ambient light sensor can also be used for turning on/off indoor and outdoor lighting, street lighting and electronic signs and signals.

"Our ChipLED photo sensors offer significant power savings in a wide range of applications, including price- and size-sensitive mobile phones," said Chee-Kien Lim, infrared and sensor business manager for Avago Technologies' Optical Communication Solutions Division. "The new, lower height of the APDS 9003 is ideal for today's slimmer mobile phones and other portable appliances -- a form factor that many manufacturers prefer."

The APDS-9003's performance features include operation over the extended 2.4 V to 5.5 V supply voltage range, compared to 2.7 V minimum for competing products. It also provides a typical 135 mA photo current at 100 lux to assure additional drive to control circuitry, and operation over the -40 C to +85 C temperature range. The Avago ambient light sensor consists of a spectrally suited photo sensor, which provides excellent responsivity that closely emulates the response of the human eye, and provides a highly linear proportional output that adjusts the backlighting of a display screen or keypad. In sufficient ambient light, designer-provided logic can turn off backlighting to significantly reduce battery drain.

Avago's ambient light sensors outperform silicon photodiode light-detection solutions because their spectral response peaks close to that of the human eye. More importantly, these sensors provide good suppression of infrared signals, which are the result of interference emitted by natural and artificial light sources. The sensors perform equally well with light sources ranging from natural sunlight to fluorescent, conventional incandescent and halogen lamps. The ChipLED package, developed for surface-mount LEDs, combines low cost, proven reliability and optimization with an extremely small, industry-standard footprint for automated manufacturing processes.

U.S. Pricing and Availability
Avago Technologies' APDS-9003 is available now through Avago's direct sales channel and worldwide distribution partners. It is priced at less than $0.24 each in high-volume quantities.

Learn more about Avago's ambient light photo sensor products at www.avagotech.com/infrared.

Avago's Mobile Appliance Solutions
Avago Technologies is a leading supplier of semiconductor solutions for today's highly integrated, feature-rich mobile handsets and PDAs. In addition to ambient light photo sensors that save battery life by controlling backlighting, Avago provides infrared transceivers for transmitting data, FBAR filters and E pHEMT and CoolPAM power amplifiers that save battery life and help shrink handset size, surface-mount LEDs that provide backlighting styling options, and proximity sensors that automate speakerphones. No other component vendor offers all of these solutions for mobile appliances. More information about Avago's family of mobile appliance semiconductor solutions is available at www.avagotech.com/mobile.

About Avago Technologies
Avago Technologies is the world's largest privately held semiconductor company, with 6,500 employees and net revenue of $1.8 billion in fiscal 2005. Avago provides an extensive range of analog, mixed-signal and optoelectronic components and subsystems to more than 40,000 customers worldwide. The company serves three primary product categories comprising optoelectronics, RF/microwave components and enterprise ASICs, and is recognized for providing innovative, high-quality products along with strong customer service and the industry's best on-time delivery. Avago's heritage of technical innovation dates back 40 years to its Agilent/Hewlett-Packard roots. Information about Avago is available on the Web at www.avagotech.com.

Avago, Avago Technologies, and the A logo are trademarks of Avago Technologies, Pte. in the United States and other countries.