Oki has begun to ship its ultraviolet (UV) sensor ICs from this month onwards. Known as the ML8511, OKI has plans to ship over 100,000 of such chips to both the Hong Kong and Chinese markets before the year is over. The OKI ML8511 prides itself in being the first UV sensor IC to be based on SOI-CMOS technology in the world, bringing together a UV light-receiving element and an analog output circuit into a single chip. The result is a significant reduction in the number of components, cost and size when compared to standard devices. It also feature an energy-saving standby function that makes it suitable for battery driven portable mobile devices. Will we soon see handsets and MP3 players that give us a reading of the current UV level? Would be a great feature for holidaymakers during the summer.
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