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Direct wireless battery charge - new solar cell component

Most solar cells produce a low voltage. Typically, you have to have a lot of them in series to get a voltage pressure high enough to charge a battery. That, says semiconductor solar cell specialist Clare, has changed.

Clare has announced the "immediate availability" of the CPC1810 solar cell which comes together with the introduction of "a new solar cell technology."

"It's an innovative solution for true wireless power, especially if one realises that the standard silicon solar cells produce only 0.6 volts of output. This one solar IC product, is indeed revolutionary since it produces more than 7 volts and thus can charge batteries directly. Naturally we envision it in any battery powered product," said Dr. Nathan Zommer, CEO of the parent company, IXYS Corporation.

The CPC1810 solar cell is activated by either natural sunlight or artificial light and produces a floating source voltage up to 7.5 V and current output of 12 micro amps.

The enabling capability behind the CPC1810 solar cell is Clare's photovoltaic technology. Clare is a leader in photovoltaic technology as a result of 20 plus years of experience using photovoltaic cells in its optically coupled solid-state relays.

These photovoltaic cells are manufactured using Clare's Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) technology.

Dr. Nathan Zommer again: "We are proud of this achievement which brings a renewable solar energy source to power portable electronic products, and which also extends the life of regular and rechargeable batteries in these applications."

The solar cell SOI technology is scalable, says the company. As a result, Clare is currently developing additional solar cell products for higher voltages and currents that different applications require. An entire family of parts ranging from 2V to 30V with a variety of output currents will soon be introduced. Additionally, since there is excellent electrical isolation between circuit elements on the photovoltaic die, it is possible to add other power management circuitry or logic control options with minimal added cost to the product.

"We can add mixed signal IC building blocks, as desired and needed by any of our customers, to satisfy their specific battery charging needs, or quiescent power budget. The CPC1810 is just the beginning of an entire new high voltage output solar cell product family enabling Clare to take its existing technology to new markets," said John Battaglini, Marketing Director at Clare.

"As the world continues to go wireless and portable electronics proliferate, the applications for this part and product extensions are limitless. This product family is also available in die form, for slim profile applications like smart cards, and electronic car alarm keys."

The CPC1810 solar cell is ideal for use in a variety of applications including solar battery chargers, battery operated equipment, portable electronics, consumer applications, off grid installation, wireless sensors and detectors, self-powered sunlight/light detection and remote installation products. It can provide trickle charge to battery-operated systems thus increasing battery life, and preventing total discharge, or non-operation due to battery drain.