Tiny gyroscope is optimised for OIS in smartphones

13th January 2014

Nat Bowers

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Datasheet

Designed specifically for optical image stabilisation in smartphones and digital still cameras, the L2G2IS is a 2-axis gyroscope with tiny dimensions of just 2.3x2.3x0.7mm. Easily integrated into next generation stabilised camera modules (which require ever smaller components), the sensor provides the high performance demanded by applications and consumers, despite a size 50% smaller by area and 60% smaller by volume than the previous generation.

The two-axis MEMS gyroscope features a ±100/±200dps full-scale range, a 3- and 4-wire SPI digital interface, an embedded temperature sensor, and integrated low- and high-pass filters with user-selectable bandwidth. Operating with a supply voltage range of 1.7-3.6V, the L2G2IS additionally features low-voltage compatible IOs (1.8V) and power-down and sleep modes. Both of these features provide smart power saving to increase overall energy efficiency, which is critical for longer battery life in smarthpones and digital cameras.

Operating over a temperature range from -40 to +85°C, the L2G2IS incorporates a sensing element and an IC interface. Capable of providing the measured angular rate to the external world through an SPI digital interface, the IC interface is manufactured using a CMOS process that allows a high level of integration to design a dedicated circuit which is trimmed to better match the sensing element characteristics. The unique sensing element is manufactured using a dedicated micromachining process developed by STMicroelectronics to produce inertial sensors and actuators on silicon wafers.

Fabio Pasolini, General Manager, Motion MEMS Division, STMicroelectronics, comments: “Optical Image Stabilisation has become an essential feature in today’s smartphones and digital still cameras, thanks to the availability of dedicated MEMS gyroscopes. With the L2G2IS, ST has once again raised the bar and set a new standard, dramatically reducing the volume and area required by this key function.”

Priced from $1.70 each for orders over 1,000 units, STMicroelectronics' 2-axis L2G2IS gyroscope is available now for sampling. Supplied in an LGA package, the sensor is ECOPACK, RoHS and “Green” compliant.