MagnaChip Introduces the MXM1120 Digital Hall Sensor for Consumer and Industrial Magnetic Sensor Applications

New Digital Hall Sensor Replaces Conventional Analog Sensors with Flexible Programmable Options for Wide-Ranging Design Flexibility

MagnaChip Semiconductor Corporation (“MagnaChip”) (NYSE: MX), a Korean semiconductor company with a broad portfolio of analog and mixed-signal products and technologies, today announced a new digital Hall sensor product line designed for emerging consumer, industrial and medical magnetic sensor applications. This line replaces conventional analog Hall switches. The MXM1120 series uses MagnaChip’s 0.18 micron low noise mixed-signal technology and proprietary Hall technology. The development kit is available for multiple operating systems including Android OS.

More computing products, applications, and systems are moving towards digital based solutions challenging the limits of conventional analog-based functions. This mega-trend demands digitally-controllable parts, especially smart sensors for all digital interface and seamless signal processing without conversion loss.

The MXM1120 series deliver I2C digital interface and fully-digitized functionality with a 10-bit ADC and an embedded logic controller. Compatible with wake-up schemes, the MXM1120 series features an additional interrupt output allowing programmable Brp and Bop parameters. These universal features provide the benefit of easy porting to any particular system allowing engineers to quickly implement value-added functions through programming. For example, flip-covers of handheld devices require a magnetic sensor that can solve both the high deviation in quality as a result of production anomalies of magnets as well as malfunctions caused by unintended cover opening. MagnaChip’s self-calibration programming can ignore the magnet flux deviations, while 10-bit magnetic field measurement can reject unintended malfunctions with signal processing techniques.

“Our new MXM1120 Hall sensor provides flexible programming capabilities and other competitive features that will allow us to expand into the new and growing business opportunity of digitized smart applications,” said YJ Kim, Executive Vice President and General Manager of MagnaChip’s Display Solutions Division. “MagnaChip will continue to provide the consumer with innovative new products such as application-specific Hall sensors that will service the demand for leading-edge applications and product features.

Key Features:

• Magnetometer device for magnets on external devices
• Built-in analog to digital converter for magnetometer data outputs
• 10/8-bits selectable data outputs for each built-in Hall element
• I2C bus interface:
  – Standard mode and Fast mode compliant with Philips I2C specification Ver.2.1
• Interrupt function: If sensed magnetic intensity level is higher than upper threshold level or lower than lower threshold level an interrupt signal is generated through INTB pad.
• Configurable magnetic sensitivity level and measurable range, for example;
  – High sensitivity mode: ±3.1 mT at 6 μT/LSB (10bit)
  – High dynamic range mode: ±40 mT at 78 μT/LSB (10bit)
• Built-in oscillator for internal clock
• Power on Reset circuit
• Operating temperatures:
  – -30°C to +85°C
• Operating supply voltage:
  – Analog power supply (VDD): +2.7 V to +3.6 V (3.0 V typical)
  – Digital Interface supply (VID): +1.65 V to VDD (1.8 V typical)
• Current consumption:
  – Power-down mode: 1.0 μA typically.
  – Normal operating mode: 18 μA typical at 10 Hz repetition rate
• Package:
  – 9-pin WL-CSP (BGA): 1.33 mm × 1.33 mm × 0.5 mm (typ.)