The Sol Chip Saturn802 Energy Harvester IC photovoltaic (PV) cell can produce output voltage levels of 0.75V, 1.5V, 2.25V, 3V, 4.5V, and 9V. The maximum power obtained in full daylight is around 10 mW, or 55 µW in office lighting. The size of the die is approximately 1 cm x 1 cm, and the stable voltage levels are available from separate pins of the device. The IC can be used with or without a back-up battery.
Sol Chip's technology integrates solar energy conversion principles with very large-scale integration (VLSI) techniques to produce a unique ambient light harvesting device that combines photovoltaic layer and microchip circuitry in layers on the same substrate. Although solar cells have been around for a long time, with microchips being the mainstay of electronic devices, no company in the semiconductor industry has successfully integrated solar cells with standard chip manufacturing processes in a cost-effective way.
Applications suited to the Saturn802 include wireless sensor networks, drip-irrigation systems, wearable electronics, smart city solutions like parking or security and utility meters, data loggers, shelf labeling, GPS emergency locators, animal tracking devices, GPS asset/container tracking, autonomous environmental and pollution measurement devices, and RFID devices. Saturn802 designs can operate continuously for more than ten years with no maintenance requirements. In wireless products this also eliminates the significant costs and time associated with wiring connections for the deployed sensors, reducing system cost of ownership.
Forming an "everlasting battery", the Saturn802 solar cells are available on an evaluation board, the Eval-802, allowing users to develop their own power regulation circuitry for handling differing light and load conditions. For a ready-made solar solution using the Saturn802 cell, the SCP-2801 board provides all necessary circuitry to provide constant 24/7 output. More specs and details are available.
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