Nexperia recently launched a new series of ultra-low quiescent current general-purpose low-dropout (LDO) regulators that meet the AEC-Q100 standard. The new series also includes high-precision output-following LDOs with integrated output protection and a wide input voltage range, so they can be directly connected to the car battery. These LDOs are thermally optimized and can provide a stable voltage source for ripple-sensitive loads in automotive applications such as infotainment systems, ADAS, telematics and lighting systems even under cold crank conditions. The LDOs with output-following function have excellent output protection capabilities and can perform well in body control modules, regional control units and power systems, and can be used in scenarios involving off-vehicle loads (such as sensors). In addition to automotive applications, these LDOs are also suitable for industrial fields, including power tools, e-bikes and battery packs.

In battery-powered automotive applications, low quiescent current (Iq) and shutdown current (ISHUT) are critical to saving energy and extending battery life. Normally-on systems require that Iq be maintained at an ultra-low level and that the output be stable over the entire temperature range. CAN wake-up systems and some systems with sleep states require ultra-low ISHUT to minimize power consumption in deep sleep (shutdown) mode. This series of LDOs has outstanding energy efficiency, with a quiescent current as low as 5.3 μA (typical) at light loads and a shutdown current of only 300 nA (typical) in shutdown mode. It is an ideal power supply option for normally-on components such as microcontrollers (MCUs), controller area networks (CANs) or local area interconnect networks (LIN) transceivers in standby and CAN wake-up systems.

LDOs with output followers can further meet the needs of off-PCB power supply scenarios (such as sensor power supply). Such applications usually require highly reliable output protection to prevent potential risks such as short circuits to ground, short circuits to batteries, and reverse current. To address these challenges, the follower LDOs in this series integrate comprehensive protection mechanisms to ensure stable operation in harsh environments. In addition, in ratiometric sensing or measurement applications, these LDOs provide excellent output accuracy, with an output error of only ±5 mV when used to follow the supply voltage of an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) or MCU.

The general-purpose LDOs provide a stable 3.3 V or 5 V output (with an accuracy of ±2%) over a wide input voltage range of 3-40 V, and can be directly connected to the car battery without the need for additional pre-regulation circuitry. This series of LDOs integrates protection functions such as short-circuit protection, overcurrent protection, and thermal shutdown, and can operate stably in the range of -40°C to 125°C (ambient temperature) or -40°C to 150°C (junction temperature). In addition, some devices in this series are equipped with a Power Good (PG) output voltage status monitoring function, which can be used to support functional safety-related system designs.

The NEX90x30-Q100 LDO has a 300 mA output current capability and is available in a variety of package options, including a thermally optimized, bottom-cooled 8-pin HTSSOP package (3 mm × 3 mm) and a DFN6 package (2 mm × 2 mm). For lower load current applications, the NEX90x15-Q100 device provides 150 mA output current, is more cost-effective, and offers flexible package options such as SOT23-5, SOT223-4, and HWSON6 (DFN-6). The follower LDO NEX91207-Q100 has 70 mA output current and is available in SOT23-5 and SOT23-5S packages.