Nanusens announced that its patented technology, which includes a sensor based on CMOS technology, could significantly extend the life of the earbuds by 20 percent.
According to the company, this can be achieved by replacing the MEMS sensor in the headset with a multisensor CMOS chip solution that will be 10 times smaller to make room for a larger battery.
Nanusens makes nanoscale sensors in its CMOS chip layer, which also has control electronics.The intermetallic dielectric (IMD) is etched through the gasket opening in the passivation layer, and a vapor high frequency (vHF) is used to create the nanosensor structure.Then seal the hole and package the chip if necessary.Since only the standard CMOS process is used, post-processing is minimal, and the sensor can be directly integrated with the active circuit as required, the sensor may have a high yield similar to that of CMOS devices.This also means that production is independent of the foundry.
As a result, the NEMS(nanoelectromechanical systems) chip is only 1 cubic millimeter, so this will save 3 cubic millimeters for each MEMS package it replaces.The Nanusens chip will only increase slightly with each additional sensor function to accommodate additional control electronics.
Nanusens' first product will be a 2D motion detector for headphones in the fourth quarter of 2019. It will be able to control tap and double tap, wake during movement and rest during sleep, and will soon be followed by a 3D accelerometer.Next, a bone conduction sensor for noise elimination is integrated into the MCU solution.The chip will be in a small package, such as a WLCSP or bare die, that can be connected directly to the PCB.
Dr Josep Montanya, chief executive of Nanusens, explained: "our nano-sensor technology is highly adaptable, so we will use it to make a range of other sensors.These sensors can be built on the same chip at the same time, so many different types of sensors can be built into a tiny multi-sensor solution without taking up more space.
Nanusens believes its disruptive technology will revolutionize the sensor market and meet the growing demand for low-cost sensors from smartphones, wearables and Internet of things devices.And iot devices have made sensors a multibillion-dollar industry.