Date: 13/07/2009

The new protection IC from ST Micro for headphones of mobile phones

ST Microelectronics has released new protection IC for headphones used with mobile portables to exclude high-frequency interference from cellphones.

The EMIF04-EAR02M8, measuring 1.5 x 1.7mm, can replace a network of discrete components or two separate ICs, normally designed into the music player's headset-connection circuitry, saving 72 percent of pc-board space. This chip attenuates signals at frequencies from 900MHz to 1900MHz making it eligible for all cellular standards, and multi-band products, without lengthy fine-tuning of each design.

This protection IC provides circuits that are individually optimized for both earphone and microphone connections, which require different filter characteristics. ST has made this IC by combining its existing EMIF02-MIC03M6 and EMIF02-SPK02F2 for microphone and speaker interfaces into a single integrated device. Features to help maximize handset battery life include low-resistance earphone circuitry (0.3 Ohms), resulting in efficient driving of the speakers.

EMIF04-EAR02M8 protects against electrostatic discharge (ESD) up to 30kV.

Package: micro-QFN 8-lead
Price: Each $0.24 for 10K pieces