OKI Tiny ML2612 16bit Audio CODEC Chips

OKI unveiled the samples of  ML2612 family of 16bit audio CODEC suited for recording and playback applications in portable devices. The members of ML2612 are ML2612, ML2614 and ML2616. OKI claim, ML2612 family is currently the world’s smallest 16bit audio CODEC LSI. As illustration, the size of ML2614/ML2616 package is only 2.0mmx2.5mm.

W-CSP (Wafer level Chip Size Package)
W-CSP is a technology to implement wafer-level packaging. LSI packages can be reduced to a chip size.

As portable devices become smaller and thinner, there have been increasing demands to mount the audio CODEC chip, together with other components that are a source of noise, on a single board via high-density packaging.

Masahiko Morioka, Oki Electric Industry, stated:

We are pleased to introduce our latest, and world's smallest, audio CODEC LSI of its kind which can limit sound degradation to a minimum, as the audio CODEC can be placed close to the microphone. To respond to the market needs, we included a microphone amplifier, A/D and D/A converters, and a speaker amplifier in the LSI using OKI's W-CSP packaging…

In this way, OKI was able to reduce the size of the audio CODEC LSI to one-third of conventional LSIs, thus enabling greater design flexibility around the microphone…

The audio CODEC included in the LSI operates at 1.65V, a world class level. OKI succeeded in reducing the voltage of the analog area of the device, in which power consumption is large, and this in turn will enable lower power consumption in portable devices. The LSI also uses an interface circuit to connect to a digital microphone. Thus, noise will not be superposed even when the microphone and audio CODEC are placed apart from each other.

OKI has also included a programmable filter that can eliminate specific frequency noise coming from wind or the system when recording, and a programmable equalizer that can correct acoustic characteristics, such as difficulty in playing back low sound that are typical of small devices. With these filter and equalizer, OKI enabled to improve the recording and playback sound quality in portable devices.

More info: OKI’s ML2612 16bit Audio CODEC IC