Digital RGB/ambient light and proximity sensor IC

The ZOPT3100 is optimised for enabling adjustment of brightness as well as colour for display panels. With five integrated photodiodes (one for proximity and four for white, green, blue, and red channels), four high-resolution 18-bit analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) for optical signals and one 11-bit dual-slope ADC for proximity measurements, this IC enables parallel measurement of light and proximity. It reaches a wide dynamic range of 0.006-32,000 lux for ambient light sensing and provides linearised output results for colour sensing via the red, green and blue channels. The IC’s simultaneous measurement of distance and ALS/CS is well suited to applications such as deactivating a touch screen during phone calls in mobile phones. Integrated filters help suppress 50/60Hz ambient light flicker; e.g., from fluorescent lights.

A wide supply voltage range of 2.4 to 3.6V combined with a low supply current of 200µA (excluding the LED driver) and a configurable standby mode allow use in mobile battery-driven applications.

The ZOPT3100 delivers extremely high sensitivity especially in low-lux areas, making it optimal for usage behind very dark cover glasses, and it maintains superior linearity across the temperature range to ensure consistent results under different conditions. For display light adjustment, the IC is balanced to achieve an excellent fit to the human eye’s characteristics. The best-in-class IR suppression (greater than 650nm) together with a proximity sensor offering the best sensitivity available in the market enables precise object detection that is ideal for usage in mobile devices.

Modern products including mobile phones, tablet computers, notebooks, cameras, PC monitors and gaming devices can greatly benefit from the ZOPT3100’s performance.

“Energy-efficiency and precision are what we do best. We designed the ZOPT3100 to provide our customers with the required resolution and accuracy for their next generation products,” said Michael Georgi, Product Marketing Manager at ZMDI. "Unlike many products available today, the ZOPT3100 comes with multiple optical sensor channels on one chip, providing high-resolution output and flexible configuration features to allow customers to minimise engineering efforts and costs.”

The ZOPT3100 is in full production and is available as die for wafer bonding. Die, samples wafers and an application kit are available from ZMDI. For 15,000 unit quantities, the ZOPT3100 is priced at €0.25 or $0.34 (USD) each.