STMicroelectronics has introduced a high speed voltage comparator which it claims has the industry's best ratio of current consumption to response time. ST’s TS3011 single comparator achieves a propagation delay of 8ns while consuming only 470 µA of supply current at 5V. According to ST, this is 50% lower than other solutions in the market.

ST’s new high-speed voltage comparator has been designed to address applications where fast response time is critical, such as data communications equipment and other signal-conditioning applications in the telecom and industrial fields. In many data processing applications with a noisy signal, the minimized delay helps ensure instant data recovery and maintain error-free communication traffic flow.

Fast-response comparators can also find use in pulse-width modulation for audio amplifiers or as output buffers in oscilloscopes and analog-to-digital converters. The TS3011 includes push-pull outputs, removing the need for a pull up resistor, and rail to rail inputs.

Specified for a supply voltage of 2.2 to 5 V, this comparator can provide a stable response time over a wide temperature range of -40°C to +125°C. It has enhanced ESD capabilities and a latch-up immunity of 200mA. The device comes in space-saving SMD packages (SOT23-5 and SC70-5).