ON Semiconductor introduces next-generation electrochemical sensor solutions for industrial, environmental and medical applications

     Onsemi introduces CEM102, an advanced miniature analog front end (AFE) that enables ultra-precise electrochemical sensing at ultra-low currents. With its compact form factors and ultra-low power consumption in the industry, CEM102 enables engineers to develop compact, multi-purpose solutions for industrial, environmental and healthcare applications such as air and gas detection, food processing and agricultural monitoring, and medical wearables such as continuous glucose monitoring.

     From life and environmental sciences to industrial materials and food processing, measuring chemicals can provide more valuable reference information for improving safety, efficiency and awareness. In laboratories, mining operations and materials manufacturing, electrochemical sensors such as potentiometers or corrosion sensors are important tools to provide feedback to production systems and manage hazardous substances, ensuring not only the proper operation of processes, but also the safety of employees and operations.

     CEM102 enables the creation of extremely small and ultra-low power solutions, making it ideal for battery-powered electrochemical sensor applications. Industrial safety equipment, such as portable gas detection, can alert workers to potential hazards when they are in remote environments or need to move.

     CEM102 is designed to work with the RSL15 Bluetooth® 5.2 microcontroller, which offers the industry's lowest-power Bluetooth low-power technology. As a complete electronic solution, it enables biosensors and environmental sensors to accurately measure chemical currents while operating with ultra-low system power consumption and a wide supply voltage range. The seamless integration of the two devices, their compact size and industry-leading energy efficiency play a vital role in reducing the size of the device and ensuring its long-lasting operation, which is a key factor in battery-powered solutions.

     The combined product is part of On's analog and mixed-signal portfolio and is designed to streamline the development process and facilitate the integration and innovation of next-generation current-type sensor technologies. It gives designers great flexibility to create high performance, energy efficient and connected applications. In addition, the solution offers higher accuracy, noise reduction and low power consumption compared to other products. It also simplifies the bill of Materials (BoM) for easy calibration and reduces manufacturing complexity.

     The system has a wide supply voltage range (1.3V to 3.6V) and can operate with a 1.5V silver oxide battery or a 3V button battery. Its operating power consumption is only 50 nA in disabled mode, 2 uA in sensor bias mode, and 3.5 uA in measurement mode with 18-bit ADC continuous conversion. This is equivalent to working for 14 days with only a 3 mAh battery, and can work for several years with a large capacity battery, which is leading the market.