Intersil introduces the latest single-chip USB-C booster and buck battery charger

     Intersil, a leading provider of innovative power management and precision analog solutions, today announced the introduction of the industry's first single-chip booster and buck battery charger solution for bi-directional transmission, ISL9237, featuring a USB Type-CTM reversible connector. Used in ultrabooks, tablets, various portable electronic products and mobile power supplies. Intersil's single-chip narrow-range VDC(NVDC) battery charger solution saves customers up to 40% on material costs by reducing one booster IC and inductor compared to competing boost and buck dual-chip charging solutions. The ISL9237 utilizes Intersil's patented R3™ modulation technology for noise-free operation, superior light load efficiency and ultra-fast transient response to extend battery life.

     The ISL9237 supports the USB 3.1 specification and is part of the emerging USB-C ecosystem as the industry's first single-chip battery charger that offers buck mode, buck - boost mode, and boost mode for 1-3 cell lithium-ion batteries. In addition, it supports USB On-The-Go(OTG) features through the Out-of-5V reverse buck mode, and simplifies the traditional two-stage charging to a single-stage booster and buck mode, thereby increasing efficiency. The USB Type-C interface supports data, video, and power up to 100W over a single cable.

     In charging mode, the ISL9237 receives power input from a wide range of DC power supplies (AC/DC charger adapters, USB transmission [PD] ports, and any travel adaptation power supply) to charge a lithium-ion battery pack consisting of up to 3 series units. The ISL9237 can also operate when connected to only one battery, only one adapter, or both. The ISL9237's System turbo mode helps the battery and charger adapters combine to power the system when the load exceeds the adapter's power supply capacity. In turbo mode, the ISL9237 can quickly "turn on" the battery BGATE FET to provide the power needed by the system. In addition, the ISL9237's wide input voltage range of 5V-20V helps strengthen the USB-C ecosystem to support new mobile power products.

     Andrew Cowell, senior vice president of mobile Power Products at Intersil, said: "Mobile electronics customers have come to rely on Intersil's innovative battery charging and power management technologies to develop the world's most efficient devices. The ISL9237 is the first single-chip USB-C battery charger solution on the market. It significantly pushes the boundaries to help our customers develop thinner products with longer battery life."

     The ISL9237 battery charger is the latest addition to Intersil's family of power management solutions for mobile computing. Other solutions in the family include the ISL95852 Vcore PMIC, the ISL95908 peripheral PMIC and Intersil's discrete PWM controller (ISL95853/54/55/57). These products use Intel's 6th generation Core processors to power IMVP8 compliant systems.