TSL235

LIGHT-TO-FREQUENCY CONVERTER
SOES012 – SEPTEMBER 1994

• High-Resolution Conversion of Light • Single-Supply Operation Down to 2.7 V

Intensity to Frequency With No External • Nonlinearity Error Typically 0.2% at 100 kHz
Components
• Stable 100 ppm/°C Temperature Coefficient
• Communicates Directly With a
• Advanced LinCMOS Technology
Microcontroller
• Compact Three-Leaded Clear-Plastic
Package

description
The TSL235 light-to-frequency converter combines a silicon photodiode and a current-to-frequency converter
on a single monolithic CMOS integrated circuit. The output is a square wave (50% duty cycle) with frequency
directly proportional to light intensity. Because it is TTL compatible, the output allows direct interface to a
microcontroller or other logic circuitry. The device has been temperature compensated for the ultraviolet-
to-visible light range of 300 nm to 700 nm and responds over the light range of 300 nm to 1100 nm. The TSL235
is characterized for operation over the temperature range of – 25°C to 70°C.
mechanical data
The TSL235 is offered in a clear-plastic three-leaded package. The photodiode area is 1.36 mm2 (0.0029 in2).

0,75 (0.030)
0,65 (0.026) 2,25 (0.089)
2,0 (0.079) T.P.† 1,75 (0.069) Pin 1 GND
0,635 (0.025) 1,25 (0.049) Pin 2 VDD
0,4 (0.016) 0,75 (0.029) Pin 3 OUT
1

4,0 (0.157) T.P.† 3

1
2
2,05 (0.081) 3
0,86 (0.034) 0,65 (0.026)
0,55 (0.022) 1,55 (0.061)
0,46 (0.018)
15,7 (0.619)
13,2 (0.520) 3,05 (0.120)
2,55 (0.100)
4,8 (0.189)
4,85 (0.191)
4,4 (0.173)
4,35 (0.171)
0,85 (0.033)
0,35 (0.014) 1,75 (0.069) 4,35 (0.171)
1,25 (0.049) 3,85 (0.152)
0,75 (0.030) R
0,51 (0.02)
0,385 (0.015)

5,05 (0.199)
4,55 (0.179) 2,74 (0.108)
2,34 (0.092)
† True position when unit is installed.

ALL LINEAR DIMENSIONS ARE IN MILLIMETERS AND PARENTHETICALLY IN INCHES

Advanced LinCMOS is a trademark of Texas Instruments Incorporated.

PRODUCTION DATA information is current as of publication date. Copyright  1994, Texas Instruments Incorporated
Products conform to specifications per the terms of Texas Instruments
standard warranty. Production processing does not necessarily include
testing of all parameters.

POST OFFICE BOX 655303 • DALLAS, TEXAS 75265 1

TSL235
LIGHT-TO-FREQUENCY CONVERTER
SOES012 – SEPTEMBER 1994

functional block diagram

Current-to-Frequency
Light Photodiode Output
Converter

absolute maximum ratings over operating free-air temperature range (unless otherwise noted)†
Supply voltage, VDD (see Note 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.5 V
Operating free-air temperature range, TA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – 25°C to 70°C
Storage temperature range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . – 25°C to 85°C
Lead temperature 1,6 mm (1/16 inch) from case for 10 seconds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260°C
† Stresses beyond those listed under “absolute maximum ratings” may cause permanent damage to the device. These are stress ratings only, and
functional operation of the device at these or any other conditions beyond those indicated under “recommended operating conditions” is not
implied. Exposure to absolute-maximum-rated conditions for extended periods may affect device reliability.
NOTE 1: All voltage values are with respect to GND.

recommended operating conditions

MIN NOM MAX UNIT
Supply voltage, VDD 2.7 5 6 V
Operating free-air temperature range, TA – 25 70 °C

electrical characteristics at VDD = 5 V, TA = 25°C (unless otherwise noted)

PARAMETER TEST CONDITIONS MIN TYP MAX UNIT
VOH High-level output voltage IOH = – 4 mA 4 4.3 V
VOL Low-level output voltage IOL = 4 mA 0.17 0.26 V
IDD Supply current 2 3 mA
Full-scale frequency‡ 500 kHz
Temperature coefficient of output frequency λ ≤ 700 nm, –25°C ≤ TA ≤ 70°C ± 100 ppm/°C
kSVS Supply-voltage sensitivity VDD = 5 V ±10% 0.5 %/ V
‡ Full-scale frequency is the maximum operating frequency of the device without saturation.

operating characteristics at VDD = 5 V, TA = 25°C

PARAMETER TEST CONDITIONS MIN TYP MAX UNIT
Ee = 375 µW/cm2, λp = 670 nm 200 250 300 kHz
fO Output frequency
Ee = 0 0.25 10 Hz
fO = 0 kHz to 10 kHz ± 0.1% %F.S.
Nonlinearity §
fO = 0 kHz to 100 kHz ± 0.2% %F.S.
1 pulse of new
Step response to full-scale step input
frequency plus 1 µs
‡ Full-scale frequency is the maximum operating frequency of the device without saturation.
§ Nonlinearity is defined as the deviation of fO from a straight line between zero and full scale, expressed as a percent of full scale.

2 POST OFFICE BOX 655303 • DALLAS, TEXAS 75265

 TSL235
LIGHT-TO-FREQUENCY CONVERTER
SOES012 – SEPTEMBER 1994

TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS
OUTPUT FREQUENCY
vs
IRRADIANCE PHOTODIODE SPECTRAL RESPONSIVITY
1000 1
VDD = 5 V TA = 25°C
λp = 670 nm
100 TA = 25°C
0.8

Normalized Responsivity
fO – Output Frequency – kHz

10
0.6

0.4
0.1

0.2
0.01

0.001 0
0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10 10 0 1k 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000 1100
Ee – Irradiance – µW/cm2 λ – Wavelength – nm

Figure 1 Figure 2

TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT
DARK FREQUENCY OF OUTPUT FREQUENCY
vs vs
TEMPERATURE WAVELENGTH OF INCIDENT LIGHT
Temperature Coefficient of Output Frequency – ppm/ °C

100 10000
VDD = 5 V
VDD = 5 V TA = 25°C to 70°C
Ee = 0
8000
fO(dark) – Dark Frequency – Hz

10

6000

4000

0.1
2000

0.01 0
– 25 0 25 50 75 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 1000
TA – Temperature – °C λ – Wavelength of Incident Light – nm

Figure 3 Figure 4

POST OFFICE BOX 655303 • DALLAS, TEXAS 75265 3

TSL235
LIGHT-TO-FREQUENCY CONVERTER
SOES012 – SEPTEMBER 1994

TYPICAL CHARACTERISTICS
OUTPUT FREQUENCY
vs
SUPPLY VOLTAGE
1.005
TA = 25°C
1.004 fO = 500 kHz

1.003
Normalized Output Frequency
1.002

1.001

0.999

0.998

0.997

0.996

0.995
2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6
VDD – Supply Voltage – V

Figure 5

4 POST OFFICE BOX 655303 • DALLAS, TEXAS 75265

 TSL235
LIGHT-TO-FREQUENCY CONVERTER
SOES012 – SEPTEMBER 1994

APPLICATION INFORMATION

power-supply considerations
For optimum device performance, power-supply lines should be decoupled by a 0.01-µF to 0.1-µF capacitor with
short leads (see Figure 6).

output interface
The output of the device is designed to drive a standard TTL or CMOS logic input over short distances. If lines
greater than 12 inches are used on the output, a buffer or line driver is recommended.

measuring the frequency

The choice of interface and measurement technique depends on the desired resolution and data-acquisition
rate. For maximum data-acquisition rate, period-measurement techniques are used.
Period measurement requires the use of a fast reference clock with available resolution directly related to
reference-clock rate. The technique is employed to measure rapidly varying light levels or to make a fast
measurement of a constant light source.
Maximum resolution and accuracy may be obtained using frequency-measurement, pulse-accumulation, or
integration techniques. Frequency measurements provide the added benefit of averaging out random- or
high-frequency variations (jitter) resulting from noise in the light signal. Resolution is limited mainly by available
counter registers and allowable measurement time. Frequency measurement is well suited for slowly varying
or constant light levels and for reading average light levels over short periods of time. Integration, the
accumulation of pulses over a very long period of time, can be used to measure exposure – the amount of light
present in an area over a given time period.

VDD

0.1 µF

3
TSL235 Timer / Port

1
MCU

Figure 6. Typical TSL235 Interface to a Microcontroller

POST OFFICE BOX 655303 • DALLAS, TEXAS 75265 5

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