Why Low Quiescent Current Matters for

Longer Battery Life

By Tom Bui, Principal Member of the Technical Staff, Core Products Group
November 2018
Table of Contents

Abstract...........................................................................................................................1
Introduction....................................................................................................................2
What Factors Into Battery Life.......................................................................................................3
Don’t Underestimate the Impact of Quiescent Current..............................................................4
Choosing the Right Boost Converter.............................................................................................5
Ultra-Low Quiescent Current Boost Converters with True Shutdown...................................6
Conclusion......................................................................................................................8
References......................................................................................................................8
 Abstract

Battery life is getting increased scrutiny as our devices continue to shrink but are still
expected to deliver more functionality and performance than ever before. Effectively
extending battery life in future devices will require mastery of low quiescent current. This
paper examines the role of low quiescent current in delivering the battery life essential for
today’s (and tomorrow’s) wearable, mobile, and other smart, connected devices.

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 Introduction
Even though it’s typically nominal, quiescent current can be a
significant factor in managing battery life for wearables.

What makes all the talk and trends for still needed? Imagine having to stop
wearables and the internet of things for a charge during a lengthy triathlon-
(IoT) possible? Medical patches that style event. Furthermore, devices like
The measure body temperature, deliver electricity meters, gas detectors, and
proliferation insulin, and monitor heart rate must building automation systems, as well
of smart, run long and reliably. In addition, these as flocks of field sensors, must have
small devices devices typically sit in storerooms and reliable uptime in the field, where they’re
medicine cabinets for a long period of expected to perform continuously in the
is putting the
time before any patient use. Doctors and background and cannot be charged or
spotlight on
users need certainty that their device’s maintained on a frequent basis. From
battery life. batteries will be alive and well at the healthcare and biosensing to wearables
time of use. Similarly, smartwatches, and environmental sensing, nearly all
earbuds, and video game controllers IoT devices rely on batteries that must
must run for a long time between perform reliably and over an extended
charges (Figure 1). Who wants to keep period of time in a variety of conditions.
charging or changing the batteries, or Indeed, battery life has reached a critical
have the device stop working when it’s juncture.

Figure 1. Smartwatches and earbuds are examples of

systems where long battery life is essential.

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According to Global Industry System designers calculate battery life
Analysts, Inc., the global market for based on active, sleep, and hibernate
portable battery-powered products is currents of the central controlling
anticipated to reach US$865.4 billion unit, which can be a microcontroller.
by 2020, “driven by the growing need Associated sensors and radios will
for ubiquitous mobility in the current also function in unison with the
emerging wireless age of networking.”1 microcontroller. The power supply is, of
Every IoT node needs a battery to run. course, also essential, providing energy US$865.4B
A typical household of two people could to all of the functional blocks in a system. portable
have anywhere from 30 to 60 batteries While active current consumption is an battery-
in use.2 Each device, of course, will have important factor in extending battery
powered
its own unique energy use patterns. life, runtime is ultimately influenced by
products
the amount of time spent in each power
Let’s examine how battery life is
mode. The standby current of each
worldwide by
calculated, and discuss why quiescent
component becomes critical as sleep and 2020.
current is important.
hibernate functions take larger portions
What Factors into Battery of time. In such situations, the power
supply’s quiescent current is the biggest
Life? contributor to a system’s standby power
Following manufacturing, many IoT consumption. For example, consider a
node devices remain in shutdown system powered by a 40mAh, 1.55V
mode, usually on shelves, until they are silver-oxide coin-cell battery with a
purchased and turned on for use. For shelf life of one year (Figure 2 shows
most of their lifetimes, these devices are coin-cell batteries). Assuming that the
on standby mode, waking periodically to
perform some action or transmit data to
the cloud. This scenario is particularly
true for products such as wearable
fitness monitoring devices that users
wear for relatively short time spans while
they are exercising. Given this, there’s a
need to uncover ways to improve power
savings when devices are in passive Figure 2. Coin-cell batteries power portable
mode. devices that require long runtimes.

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 current drawn is about 4µA, reducing Designers use quiescent current to
the current by a single microamp could assess power dissipation of a power
increase the wearable shelf life by about supply at light loads. And they use
three months.3 shutdown current to calculate battery
lifetime when the device is powered
Power supplies typically consist of
off but its battery is connected to the
The power regulators, such as switching regulators
regulator.
that boost up or buck down the voltage
supply’s
or low-dropout (LDO) regulators. Some
quiescent To extend battery life in a device,
also have power management ICs
current is (PMICs) that involve multiple power
always design with components such
the main architectures and perhaps even a battery
as low-power microcontrollers, sensors,
contributor radios, and efficient power supplies.
charger.
Design techniques such as advanced-
to a system’s
standby Don’t Underestimate the node CMOS fabrication processes also
help lower a product’s overall power
power Impact of Quiescent Current consumption, which could, in turn,
consumption. When a power supply is in standby positively impact battery life. Some
mode, power consumption is defined by designers will opt for a boost converter
Quiescent quiescent current (IQ), which refers to a to extend battery life when the battery
current circuit’s quiet state, when it isn’t driving voltage drops to low levels. However,
doesn’t any load and its inputs aren’t cycling. unless the right converter is selected,
equal Quiescent current, while nominal, can this approach can actually result in
shutdown also substantially impact a system’s higher quiescent current, which drains
power transfer efficiency during light the battery faster.
current.
load operation.
Form factor of the end product is another
Sometimes, quiescent current gets important consideration. Consumers—
mixed up with shutdown current. With and, therefore, designers—are driven
quiescent current, the system is idle but to go smaller and lighter. The challenge
ready to wake at any time to take some is, a device’s battery is typically the
action, which is generally how users largest and heaviest component on a
like their devices. Shutdown current, on device’s board. A smaller battery would,
the other hand, refers to a device that’s of course, mean less capacity—which is
asleep. contradictory to the demand for longer

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battery life. So designers must balance the market. In this case, even currents
capacity and size with efficient power measuring in the milliamperes are not
management techniques. Increasing a low enough to make an impact on battery
system’s power efficiency presents one life. Today’s wearable, mobile, and IoT
common way to increase battery life. designs call for mere nanoamperes of
current flow.
It makes sense to pay close attention Ultra-small,
to the quiescent current specifications Choosing the Right Boost connected
in power regulators such as boost designs
converters – the lower this current, the
Converter
benefit from
more you can extend battery life. What Boost converters are DC-to-DC
nanoamps of
is needed, particularly for today’s ultra- converters whose output voltage is
small designs, is technology that can
current flow
greater than that of the source voltage.
deliver both lower quiescent current Looking at the boost converter market,
along with a form factor that is smaller VIN (5V) boost power management
than what is currently available on circuits are the fastest growing segment,

VIN (5V) BOOST

WORLDWIDE REVENUE ($M)
$450
$400
$350
$300
$250
$200
$150
$100
$50
$0
2017 2021
Figure 3. Global revenue projection for boost converters

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 according to industry analysts (Figure 3 Examining the vendor’s track record
shows revenue projections for the global in power management technologies is
boost converter market). Based on the also important. Trusted vendors have
requirements for the IoT applications long histories of delivering advanced
that are driving this growth, designers technologies to customers of all sizes
are seeking boost converters offering and in a variety of industries, continually
300nA lower voltage rails, longer battery life, enhancing their expertise and their
quiescent and smaller solution size. products over time. Some also provide
current customers with online simulation tools
Choosing the right boost converters
with True for evaluating efficiency curves and
that will successfully extend battery life
Shutdown bill of materials (BOM) costs based
calls for close examination of some key
mode. on their design specifications. Access
criteria, including:
to evaluation kits and boards provides
1. Quiescent current: the lower this a quick way to prototype designs of
current, the better the converter various sizes. In addition, the availability
can preserve battery life at system of ultra-small packages is essential for
standby mode. cost- and size-sensitive designs.
2. True shutdown: by blocking
the current output from the
Ultra-Low Quiescent
input in shutdown, this capability Current Boost Converters
improves efficiency and extends
with True Shutdown
shelf life for end products. If
available as an integrated feature Maxim now offers boost (step-up)
in the converter, it also eliminates DC-to-DC converters with ultra-low
expensive external components. quiescent current (300nA) and True
3. Input voltage range: allows running Shutdown™ technology, ideal for
off of an almost “dead” battery battery-powered applications that
4. Efficiency: measured in VIN, VOUT, require long battery life. The MAX17222
and IOUT, the higher the nanoPower boost regulator features a
percentage, the better for 0.5A peak inductor current limit (Figure
increased battery life (>90% 4). With True Shutdown technology, the
efficiency at µA level is ideal) output is disconnected from the input
without forward or reverse current.

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 Figure 4. nanoPower boost regulators block diagram

Output voltage can be selected using Maxim’s DARWIN microcontrollers

a single standard 1% resistor. The work well with nanoPower ICs, together
MAX17222 features post-startup enable enabling products with the longest
transient protection (ETP), which allows battery life and the smallest sizes.
the output to remain regulated for input
voltages down to 400mV, depending on DARWIN microcontrollers feature
the load current. The boost converter is wearable-grade power technology with
available in 0.88 x 1.4mm2 6-bump WLP the lowest active mode and SRAM
and 6-pin µDFN packages and features retention power available; the biggest
95% peak efficiency to minimize heat embedded memories in their class to
dissipation. run more stacks and bigger applications;
a scalable memory architecture for
To complement the power benefits running code from external flash or
of highly efficient boost regulators, accessing external SRAM to quickly
choose low-power microcontrollers scale application size or meet new
for your design. However, not all low- market requirements; and advanced
power microcontrollers are made the embedded security to protect designs
same. Given that the target applications from cyber threats. The responsible
discussed here require a small energy use of DARWIN microcontrollers
footprint and are battery-powered, the and nanoPower ICs eases the pressure
microcontrollers used should support on the small batteries powering the end
these small form factor products. products.

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 Summary
When looking at ways to extend battery life in your next design, don’t underestimate the impact of
quiescent current. Upfront, it’s important to understand the power profile of your end product—this
will give you targets to aim for. When it’s time to consider the components that go inside, look for
power supply and processing circuits that offer quiescent current at the lowest end of the nanoampere
spectrum as possible. The combination of low quiescent current, along with specifications like True
Shutdown, low input voltage range, and high efficiency at the µA level, will help yo u deliver smart,
connected products that meet customers’ demands for high uptime per charge.

Additional Resources
Learn more about nanoPower products that can support your next design at
www.maximintegrated.com/nanoPower

Learn more about DARWIN microcontrollers at

www.maximintegrated.com/DARWIN

Sources
1
https://www.strategyr.com/MarketResearch/
Portable_Battery_Powered_Products_Market_Trends. asp

2
http://blog.batterysharks.com/average-household-and-the-number-of-batteries/

3
Maxim Integrated. Meeting the Design Challenges of Wearable and IoT Devices. San Jose, 2017

Learn more
For more information, visit:
www.maximintegrated.com

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