Geneva, Switzerland:
STMicroelectronics launched a new generation of hard-disk-drive preamplifiers designed for drives with less than 2.5-in. diameter platters. The devices, named the Near Zero Power (NZP) series due to their very low power consumption, are an evolution of ST's ULP (Ultra Low Power) family.
Disk drives with platter size smaller than 2.5 inches are currently used almost exclusively in MP3 players and portable video recorders and players. Total Write-Mode power consumption of the new L6440—the first device in the NZP family—is 170mW (at a 450Mbits/s data rate), enabling manufacturers to offer longer battery lifetime between charges, or more compact products with the same battery life by using a smaller battery.
The L6440 is the latest implementation of proprietary architectures that aim to reduce power consumption and increase overshoot voltage.