ISL29030A: Low Power Light and Proximity Sensor with Intelligent Interrupt and Sleep Modes

The ISL29030A is an integrated ambient and infrared light-to-digital converter with a built-in IR LED driver and I2C Interface (SMBus Compatible). This device uses two independent ADCs for concurrently measuring ambient light and proximity in parallel. The flexible interrupt scheme is designed for minimal microcontroller utilization.

For ambient light sensor (ALS) data conversions, an ADC converts photodiode current (with a light sensitivity range of 2000 lux) in 100ms per sample. The ADC rejects 50Hz/60Hz flicker noise caused by artificial light sources. The IALS pin provides an analog output current proportional to the measured light (420μA FSR).

For proximity sensor (Prox) data conversions, the built-in driver turns on an external infrared LED, and the proximity sensor ADC converts the reflected IR intensity to digital. This ADC rejects ambient IR noise (such as sunlight) and has a 540μs conversion time.

The ISL29030A provides low-power operation of the ALS and proximity sensing, with a typical 138μA normal operation current (110μA for sensors and internal circuitry; ~28μA for external LED, with 220mA current pulses for a net 100μs, repeating every 800ms or under).

The ISL29030A uses both a hardware pin and software bits to indicate an interrupt event has occurred. An ALS interrupt is defined as a measurement that is outside a set window. A proximity interrupt is defined as a measurement over a threshold limit. The user can configure the device so that ALS and proximity interrupts occur simultaneously, up to 16 times in a row, before the interrupt pin is activated.

The ISL29030A is designed to operate at 2.25V to 3.63V over the -40°C to +85°C ambient temperature range. It is packaged in a clear, lead-free 8 lead ODFN package.

Key Features
  • Works Under All Light Sources Including Sunlight
  • Dual ADCs Measure ALS/Prox Concurrently
  • Intelligent Interrupt Scheme Simplifies Microcontroller CodeAmbient Light Sensing
  • Simple Output Code Directly Proportional to Lux
  • 50Hz/60Hz Flicker Noise and IR Rejection
  • Light Sensor Close to Human Eye Response
  • Selectable 125/2000 Lux Range
  • Analog 420μA Output Pin IALS Proportional to LuxProximity Sensing
  • Proximity Sensor with Broad IR Spectrum
    • Can Use 850nm and 950nm External IR LEDs
  • IR LED Driver with I2C Programmable Sink Currents
    • Net 100μs Pulse with 110mA or 220mA Amplitudes
    • Periodic Sleep Time Up to 800ms Between Pulses
  • Ambient IR Noise Cancelation (Including Sunlight)Intelligent and Flexible Interrupts
  • Independent ALS/Prox Interrupt Thresholds
  • Adjustable Interrupt Persistency
    • 1/4/8/16 Consecutive Triggers Required Before Interrupt
  • Ultra Low Power
  • 138μA DC Typical Supply Current for ALS/Prox Sensing
    • 110μA for Sensors and Internal Circuitry
    • 28μA Typical Current for External IR LED (Assuming 220mA for 100μs Every 800ms)
  • <1.0μA Supply Current When Powered DownEasy to Use
  • Set Registers; Wait for Interrupt
  • I2C (SMBus Compatible) Output
  • Temperature Compensated
  • Tiny ODFN8 2.0x2.1x0.7 (mm) PackageAdditional Features
  • 1.7V to 3.63V Supply for I2C Interface
  • 2.25V to 3.63V Sensor Power Supply
  • Pb-Free (RoHS compliant)
Applications
  • Display and Keypad Dimming Adjustment and Proximity Sensing for:
    • Mobile Devices: Smart Phone, PDA, GPS
    • Computing Devices: Laptop PC, Netbook
    • Consumer Devices: LCD-TV, Digital Picture Frame, Digital Camera
  • Industrial and Medical Light and Proximity Sensing
Typical Diagram
Application Notes
TitleTypeUpdatedSizeOther Languages
AN1757: I2C FundamentalsPDF13 Nov 2014118 KB
AN1682: What are the Advantages of Packaging a Proximity Sensor with an Ambient Light SensorPDF13 Nov 2014132 KB
AN1436: Proximity SensorsPDF13 Nov 2014198 KB
Datasheets
TitleTypeUpdatedSizeOther Languages
ISL29030A DatasheetPDF17 Nov 2014496 KB
Software
TitleTypeUpdatedSizeOther Languages
Intersil ISL29xxx HID Installer v1.39EXE----3.56 MB
User Guides
TitleTypeUpdatedSizeOther Languages
ISL29xxx Evaluation Boards User GuidePDF17 Aug 20161.14 MB
Order Information
Part NumberPackage TypeWeight(g)PinsMSL RatingPeak Temp (°C)RoHS Status
ISL29030AIROZ-T78 Ld ODFN T+R0.0071583OP260RoHS
ISL29030AIROZ-EVALZN/ARoHS
ISL29030A Datasheet 17 Nov 2014
8 Ld ODFN T+R ISL29027
ISL29030A
AN1757: I2C Fundamentals 13 Nov 2014
AN1682: What are the Advantages of Packaging a Proximity Sensor with an Ambient Light Sensor 13 Nov 2014
AN1436: Proximity Sensors 13 Nov 2014
Intersil ISL29xxx HID Installer v1.39 ----
ISL29xxx Evaluation Boards User Guide 17 Aug 2016