CMOS-compatible temperature sensor with digital output for wide temperature range applications

CMOS process-compatible wide-range temperature sensor with a CMOS digital output is described, Concerning accuracy, a temperature error smaller than 0.25 degreesC rms (with two second-order temperature compensations, an on-chip one and an externally trimmable one) is the measured performance of this integrated sensor, over the -50 to 150 degreesC targeted temperature range. Other important characteristics are the low cost, the less than 0.55 mW of power consumption and the duty-cycle modulated digital output signal, specially conditioned for on-chip digital signal processing or for a single-wire connection to an external processor. The characteristics of this sensor make it especially suitable for low-cost high-volume integrated microsystems over a wide range of fields, such as automotive, space, oil prospect, and consumer. (C) 2000 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd.