Ultra low-power FM receiver for Hearing Aid The Challenge Phonak Communications, a world leading company in the development and manufacture of innovative hearing systems for children and adults with hearing loss, had a vision of realizing a groundbreaking product – a hearing aid which allows the user to forget he even has it on and which goes unnoticed by those around him. Our challenge was to develop an ultra low-power miniature FM receiver chip capable of supporting multi-frequency technology. The solution An ultra low-power miniature FM receiver chip featuring: Running from the zinc-air battery embedded in the hearing aid Power consumption of 2.2mA in full active mode 0.25µm CMOS technology Excellent sensitivity of -103dBm, covering a range of 30m The complete module, including passive components, fits in 1cm³ Result for the customer For the first time, children with hearing aids can move freely between classrooms without the need to re-set their hearing aid frequency. Moreover, the small size of the AnSem chip helps make Phonak's hearing instrument unobtrusive, both to users and other students. The new product closes the gap between children with and without hearing loss in the school environment.

"Going beyond the state-of-the-art in low power, low voltage RF circuit design requires a very skilled and open-minded development team. Intense collaboration, skill and engagement between our team and AnSem's team were instrumental in achieving the results." Dr. Rainer Platz, head of Phonak Communications, R&D department www.phonak.com