Electronic Products announces winners of the 2022 Product of the Year Awards

The annual awards, now in its 47th year, recognizes outstanding products that represent any of the following qualities: a significant advancement in a technology or its application, an exceptionally innovative design, a substantial achievement in price/performance, improvements in design performance and a potential for new product designs/opportunities. EP editors evaluated 100+ products across 13 categories. Here are this year’s winners:

• Analog Devices Inc. (Sensors)
• Exxelia (Passives)
• KDPOF (Optoelectronics)
• Micro Harmonics Corp. (RF/Microwave)
• Navitas Semiconductor (Power)
• Orca Systems Inc. (Digital ICs)
• Prophesee (Development Kits)
• Quectel (Modules)
• Snaptron Inc. (Electromechanical)
• Synaptics Inc. (IoT Platforms)
• TE Connectivity (Interconnects)
• Texas Instruments Inc. (Analog/Mixed-Signal ICs)
• Tektronix Inc. (Test & Measurement)

Analog Devices Inc.: ADTF3175 iToF module (Sensors)

Analog Devices Inc. (ADI) has claimed the ADTF3175 as the industry’s first high-resolution, industrial-quality, indirect time-of-flight (iToF) module for 3D depth sensing and vision systems that is fully calibrated for depth data and ready to image a scene. By providing a scalable and calibrated depth system that can be integrated into 3D sensing and vision systems, the module eliminates the need to design specialized optics or address electromechanical integration challenges, said ADI.

The ADTF3175 enables cameras and sensors to perceive 3D space in 1-MP resolution. The module offers highly accurate ±3-mm iToF technology available for machine-vision applications, including industrial automation, logistics, health care and augmented reality. ADI said the ADTF3175 provides an image resolution that is double or triple the pixel count of competitive solutions.

In addition to the 1-MP iToF imager, the module includes all of the optics, illumination and power systems. “The benefits provided by the high-resolution imager include the ability to maintain the performance across the full field of view to maintain high angular resolution, which means no loss of information at the extremes of the field of view,” ADI said. This translates into longer range and higher accuracy.

The raw image data from the ADTF3175 is processed externally by the host system processor. The high readout speed of raw frames (up to 500 fps) of the image sensor in the ADTF3175 translates to low-latency operation of the depth camera, making it suited for applications in which motion tracking is required. “In applications where images are stitched together, like 3D room mapping, lower-resolution 3D imaging systems require significant post-processing for a faithful rendering of the scene using multiple overlaying images,” ADI said. “This approach increases cost, system power and latency. With the ADTF3175, much of the pre- and post-processing can be eliminated, which increases speed while reducing cost and power.”

Exxelia: MML capacitors (Passives)

Exxelia has developed a new technology for film capacitors. The new Miniature Micro-Layer (MML) capacitors offer ultra-high energy density, claiming the highest capacitance per volume for film capacitors. This translates into board space and weight savings, as well as lower component count. The new film dielectric, rather than being wound in a cylindrical configuration, is constructed from stacked layers of polymer film, similar to MLCCs, which allows for much higher capacitance per volume. Key specifications include a wide capacitance range of 1 to 1,000 μF and voltages from 50 to 1,000 V.

The company called the MML capacitors a game changer, with an energy density of 400 J/dm³. This allows for a tremendous reduction in size and weight compared with traditional polypropylene or polyester dielectrics, Exxelia said. The technology also offers an increased operating temperature up to 140˚C and transient voltage protection.

KDPOF: EVB9351-SFP 1000BASE-RH SFP module (Optoelectronics)

KDPOF has claimed the industry’s first 1000BASE-RH SFP module for optical gigabit connectivity in vehicles with the introduction of the EVB9351-SFP. The design of the small-form–factor pluggable transceiver module is based on a standard SFP supporting MSA registers via I²C bus. The module can operate at 100 and 1,000 Mbits/s. It integrates the 1000BASE-RHC PHY and the header connector for the SI-POF optical harness. The EVB9351-SFP supports 1000BASE-X, 100BASE-X and SGMII (with and without auto-negotiation) as electrical interfaces. It monitors the received optical power, the link margin, the junction temperature and the supply voltages, among others. The new SFP module has been tested and validated in a functional demo.

Micro Harmonics Corp.: Hybrid circulator (RF Components)

The patent-pending hybrid circulator from Micro Harmonics Corp. is designed for wideband millimeter-wave (mmW) transmit (Tx)/receive (Rx) systems. Circulators are used to direct signal flow in mmW Tx/Rx systems, allowing for a single antenna to be used by both the transmitter and the receiver.

The current state-of-the-art mmW circulator technology is the Y-junction. “Commercial Y-junction circulators with full waveguide band operation and 16-dB isolation are available up to 40 GHz,” the company said. “Above 50 GHz, the bandwidth is very narrow due to limitations in the ferrite material properties.

“At mmW frequencies, what is needed is an all-new approach to the problem,” the company added. The hybrid circulator combines an orthomode transducer with a Faraday rotator to achieve more than twice the bandwidth in WR-15 and an order of magnitude of the bandwidth in WR-5.1 compared with the traditional Y-junction design. The hybrid circulator is claimed as the first to cover the 150- to 190-GHz and the 54- to 68-GHz bands with 20-dB level isolation.

Unlike the Y-junction circulator, the hybrid circulator is asymmetric. The path from port 3 (Rx) to port 1 (Tx) is internally terminated. However, the hybrid circulator can be assembled in a way that restores the symmetry if needed.

Navitas Semiconductor: GaNFast half-bridge ICs (Power)

Navitas Semiconductor’s latest family of GaNFast half-bridge ICs with GaNSense technology integrates a complete half-bridge power stage, which is a fundamental building block for inverters, and can be used in many applications, such as data centers, motor drives and electric vehicles. The GaNFast power ICs integrate GaN power with drive, control, sensing and protection, which lowers energy consumption and reduces the need for additional electronic components (e.g., magnetics, filters, capacitors), as well as mechanical components (e.g., PCB area, metal/plastic housing, aluminum heat sinks).

The latest NV6247 provides designers with Navitas’s most advanced, third-generation integrated GaN platform using GaNSense technology, claiming lossless current sensing and the industry’s fastest short-circuit protection, with a “detect to protect” speed of only 30 ns, 6× faster than discrete solutions. It also requires 60% fewer external components and delivers a 24% smaller footprint, compared with its closest competitor, according to Navitas.

The NV6247 is rated at 650 V for nominal operation plus an 800-V peak rating for robust operation during transient events. The GaN gate is fully protected, and the device is rated at an electrostatic discharge (ESD) specification of 2 kV. Other features include the highest dV/dt immunity, a high-speed integrated drive and thermally optimized QFN packaging.

According to Navitas, by using GaNSense ICs in renewable-energy solar inverters, switching speed can be increased by 10×, cutting costs and reducing payback time by up to 10%. For e-mobility, these devices deliver up to 3× faster charging, with longer range and/or lower battery costs, and in ultra-fast mobile chargers, GaNSense ICs can enable 3× faster charging with half the size and weight of silicon alternatives, with energy savings up to 40%.

Orca Systems Inc.: ORC3990 LEO satellite endpoint SoC (Digital ICs)

Orca Systems claims the ORC3990 system-on-chip (SoC) is the industry’s first fully integrated SoC solution for direct-to-satellite IoT connectivity. The ORC3990 SoC integrates all required system functions in a very small 68-QFN package. A key building block of the SoC design includes Orca’s third-generation Live Wireless RF and digital radio subsystem.

Additional function blocks integrated in the ORC3990 SoC include a low-noise amplifier (LNA), a digital power amplifier (PA), satellite modem, power-management–unit subsystem including all analog blocks, dual Arm Cortex-M0+ CPUs for separate network and application processing, all necessary memory (volatile and nonvolatile) for the on-chip CPUs, security functions and key analog and digital peripherals. On-chip sensors provide the temperature of an ORC3990-based IoT endpoint. The device supports a suite of digital and analog interfaces, allowing it to seamlessly connect to sensors that detect temperature, humidity, shock, vibration and flow.

The ORC3990 wireless SoC was developed to enable direct-to-satellite IoT connectivity over Totum’s low Earth orbit (LEO) network. The company can customize the front end, baseband modem, RF receiver and transmitter, LNA and digital PA to meet customer specifications.

In addition, the chip is manufactured with GlobalFoundries’ 22FDX 22-nm FD-SOI technology to deliver a cost-effective, low-power SoC solution.

Prophesee: Metavision EVK4 — HD evaluation kit (Development Kits)

Prophesee’s Metavision EVK4 — HD evaluation kit is an ultra-light and compact evaluation kit designed for field-testing conditions. The company said it is the first comprehensive development kit to enable the design of event cameras for machine-vision systems with the Sony IMX 636ES HD sensor released by Sony Semiconductor Solutions and in collaboration with Prophesee. The IMX636ES combines Sony’s CMOS image sensor technology with Prophesee’s event-based Metavision sensing technology. Claimed as the industry’s first stacked-event–based vision sensor, the Sony IMX636ES sensor features the industry’s smallest pixels and superior HDR performance, making it suited for a range of vision-enabled use cases in industrial, automotive and consumer applications.

Using the EVK4 — HD evaluation kit, developers can leverage the full potential of event-based vision, Prophesee said.

The kit gives developers access to the state-of-the-art event-based vision sensor, which features an industry-leading 4.86-μm pixel pitch and 1,280 × 720 pixel resolution. It supports full sensor bandwidth of up to 1.6 Gbits/s and maximum power of 1.5 W via a USB 3 interface. Built from high-quality aluminum alloy, the EVK combines a lightweight 40-gram design with highly efficient heat dissipation, electrical isolation and overall casing shielding. In addition, it can fit into space-constrained system designs with a measurement of 30 × 30 × 36 mm. The kit has been extensively tested to ensure it will perform in a wide range of challenging conditions, including change of temperature, damp heat, steady state and rough-handling shocks, and is designed to manage ESD effectively. It also provides “perfect” optical alignment between the sensor, optical barrel and camera body. Developers can switch seamlessly between any C/CS-mount–compatible lens, from 8-mm objective lens to microscopes’ or telescopes’ imaging ports. The kit provides a C-mount 1/2.5-inch lens, a C-CS lens mount adapter, tripod and USB-C to USB-A cable.

Quectel: LC76G GNSS module (Modules)

The Quectel LC76G GNSS module is a compact, single-band, ultra-low–power GNSS module that features fast and accurate location performance. It can concurrently receive and process signals from all satellite constellations, including GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo and QZSS, thereby maximizing the number of satellites visible to a device. It can receive signals from up to 47 satellites and achieve 1.5-meter (CEP50 open-sky) positioning accuracy, representing a 40% improvement over previous generations of devices, according to the company.

Featuring an internal SAW filter and integrated LNA, the LC76G can be connected directly to a passive patch antenna and provides filtering against unwanted interference, ensuring excellent performance even while driving through dense urban canyons, Quectel said.

“Integrated AGNSS technology is supported on the LC76G, which reduces the time to first fix [TTFF], with a hot start taking less than 1 second and a warm start within 2 seconds, while the cold start can obtain accurate tracking fixes within 15 seconds,” the company said. “The faster GNSS fixes make it possible to use accurate positioning and navigation services anytime and anywhere with a smaller power budget than previously possible.”

The GNSS module measures 10.1 × 9.7 × 2.4 mm and is available in low-cost and ultra-low–power versions. The low-power version consumes less than 9 mA @ 3 V, which allows for a 72% reduction in power consumption than previously possible, Quectel said.

Snaptron Inc.: S-Series metal dome switches (Electromechanical)

Snaptron Inc.’s S-Series of four-leg metal dome switches come with two solderable tabs. The tabs allow the dome to be soldered directly to a printed-circuit board or flex circuit. Like standard tactile domes, the solder dome is a normally open momentary contact that provides a crisp tactile feel. However, the solder dome delivers ease of assembly and the ability to use the automated equipment to place the domes, reducing the time and cost of manual labor, the company said. Metal domes offer lower profiles, longer life-cycle ratings and various forces and sizes, providing an advantage over other switch technologies, Snaptron said, and because these switches are less complex to manufacture, they provide a viable alternative to many switch alternatives.

The solder dome has the potential to significantly disrupt the tactile switch market thanks to its low-profile design, life-cycle ratings of up to 1 million, customization and the ability to solder the dome directly to the circuit board, according to the company. “Depending on product designs, the solder dome takes up less footprint on the circuit board than similar switches, such as tact switches,” Snaptron said. “This allows customers to fit more components onto the substrate, saving space and reducing overall cost. Soldering the dome directly to the circuit board can also improve placement accuracy due to the elimination of manual or fixed placement methods.”

Synaptics Inc.: IoT wireless Triple Combo SoC (IoT Platforms)

Synaptics Inc. claims the Triple Combo is the first ultra-low–power integrated SoC to combine Wi-Fi 6/6E (802.11ax with extended 6-GHz operation), Bluetooth 5.2 (BT 5.2) with BLE Audio and high-accuracy distance measurement, and IEEE 802.15.4 with built-in support for Zigbee, the Thread protocol and the Matter application layer.

The Triple Combo, in combination with its SynFi software, can simplify IoT product development and reduce time to market while accelerating the transition to secure and scalable connectivity between devices across heterogeneous IoT networks, regardless of platform, OEM or brand, the company said. The device offers industry-leading Wi-Fi performance, with Wi-Fi 6E data rates up to 600 Mbits/s, as well as transmit power and receive sensitivity that together enable sustained high throughput over an extended range for full-home coverage. Application environments include home, enterprise, industrial, agricultural and smart cities.

TE Connectivity: PicoMQS miniaturized automotive connector system (Interconnects)

TE Connectivity’s (TE’s) PicoMQS miniaturized automotive connector system is an automotive-grade interconnection system that was designed for space-constrained signal interfaces that require automotive-grade robustness, optimized performance, minimized packaging and ease of manufacturing. The PicoMQS connector system is suited for harsh high-vibration and high-temperature automotive applications, featuring a 1.27-mm pitch and a clearance and creepage distance of 0.46 mm.

“With the increasing electrical content found in today’s vehicles, the automotive industry is challenged to find solutions that not only reduce component packaging and weight without impacting performance but are also under constant pressure to reduce their vehicle fuel consumption, CO₂ emissions and component footprint,” TE said.

TE said the PicoMQS system is the smallest automotive-qualified crimped terminal, connector and header system in the market. It offers a reduced footprint with a 55% reduction in crimp length and a 78% reduction in packaging weight.

Tektronix Inc.: 2 Series MSO portable oscilloscope (Test & Measurement)

Tektronix has claimed the 2 Series MSO as the industry’s first portable oscilloscope that provides benchtop performance in the field and lab without sacrificing functionality. It weighs less than 4 pounds and measures 1.5 inches thick. Key features include an intuitive user interface, a modern 10.1-inch touchscreen, conventional control knobs and an optional, hot-swappable battery pack that supplies up to 8 hours of power in the field.

It is the only benchtop oscilloscope that can be battery-powered with its detachable battery pack option. The battery pack has two battery slots and can support hot swapping of the batteries during operation to extend run time, said Tektronix. When using both batteries, it offers 8 hours of operation.

Built from the ground up, Tektronix said the 2 Series MSO solves one of the biggest problems for test engineers: being “able to test and measure whatever they wanted, wherever they wanted.” It works in the lab or in the field, and the universal VESA mount gives engineers more control and versatility in positioning the instrument, such as securing it to a vehicle, mounting on an arm for articulating movement, attaching to a wall and hanging from a hook. It also incorporates the commonly shared interface across the Tektronix scope family and includes a range of features for many embedded, automotive and industrial applications.

Texas Instruments Inc. ADS127L11 ADC (Analog/Mixed-Signal ICs)

Claiming at the time of launch the industry’s smallest 24-bit wideband analog-to-digital converter (ADC) that delivers industry-leading signal-measurement precision at wider bandwidths than competing ADCs, the ADS127L11 from Texas Instruments Inc. (TI) achieves ultra-precise data acquisition in a 50% smaller package. This significantly optimizes power consumption, resolution and measurement bandwidth for a wide range of industrial systems, TI said.

In a 3 × 3-mm quad-flat no-lead package, the ADS127L11 also eliminates the tradeoff between an ADC’s size and measurement precision at higher frequencies, enabling designers to pack additional channels into a compact design, the company added. It is also said to consume half the power of other ADCs, enabling designs such as portable electroencephalogram (EEG) machines and power-quality analyzers to better optimize power consumption against bandwidth requirements using the device’s power-scalable modes.

Other features include wideband and low-latency filter options to optimize ADC performance and deliver tailored high-performance data acquisition. “Designers can use wideband mode to improve AC measurement resolution with 50% wider bandwidth, data rates as high as 400 kSPS and a 30% higher signal-to-noise ratio than competing data converters while minimizing noise at high frequencies,” according to TI.