High Side Current Sense Amplifiers for Accurate and Energy-Efficient Current Measurement in Automotive Applications

19 February 2021 - 0 Comments

Microchip's High Side Current Sense Amplifiers

Microchip Technology has introduced the MCP6C02 and MCP6C04, AEC-Q100 qualified high side current sense amplifiers that feature the industry’s lowest offset voltage. With a maximum offset error of only 12 µV, the new amplifiers are delivered in both a Grade 1 6-pin SOT-23 package and a Grade 0 8-pin 3x3 VDFN package and offer the lowest offset voltage for any Grade 0 high-side current sense amplifier.

The operating temperature range of -40°C to +150°C and the amplifier's offset error allows the use of small value shunt resistors at the same time maintains a high measurement resolution. This delivers more accurate and energy-efficient current measurement solutions for applications that require extreme temperatures like the motor within a vehicle’s water pump.

Both MCP6C02 and MCP6C04 amplifiers feature an on-chip electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter and zero-drift architecture. The EMI filter acts as additional protection against high-frequency electrical interference, such as wireless hotspots and radio frequencies, while the self-correcting architecture brings increased accuracy to current measurement. These features allow the developers to create higher performance solutions in a wide variety of applications, such as creating a current-controlled feedback loop for a power supply or motor, monitoring and charging batteries, or monitoring current levels for safety reasons.

Microchip’s new ADM01104 evaluation board supports both the MCP6C02 and MCP6C04 high-side current sense amplifiers, and each device is a pin, package, and function compatible. The MCP6C02 6-pin SOT-23 package option is available for $1.22, while the MCP6C02 8-pin 3x3 VDFN package option is available for $1.41, each in 10,000-unit quantities. The MCP6C04 6-pin SOT-23 package is available for $0.98, also in 10,000-unit quantities.

Features of MCP6C02 High-Side Current Sense Amplifier

Zero-drift architecture
Bidirectional or unidirectional operation
Maximum offset less than 16 µV
Maximum offset drift less than 85 nV/°C
Specified input common-mode range: 3V to 65V
The bandwidth of 500 kHz (typical)
Enhanced EMI rejection
Specified from -40 to +125°C (SOT-23 Package)
Specified from -40 to +150°C (VDFN Package)
Small 6-pin SOT-23 and 8-pin 3x3 VDFN packaging

Features of MCP6C04 High-Side Current Sense Amplifier

Zero-drift architecture
Bidirectional or unidirectional operation
Maximum offset less than 30 µV
Maximum offset drift less than 180 nV/ºC
Specified input common-mode range: 3V to 52V
Fixed gain options: 20, 50, 100 V/V
The bandwidth of 500 kHz (typical)
Enhanced EMI rejection
Specified from -40 to +125ºC
Small 6-pin SOT-23 package

Note: More technical information can be found in the datasheets of the MCP6C02 amplifier linked at the bottom of this page and on the product pages of MCP6C02 High-Side Current Sense Amplifier and MCP6C04 High-Side Current Sense Amplifier.