The Skyworks SKY76206-21 Mono Low-power Multi-Level Class D Audio Amplifier IC is an innovative Class DG
amplifier that delivers world class audio performance in a compact package with ultra-low quiescent power levels,
and is ideal for portable and wearable electronics.
Unlike most Class D amplifiers on the market, the SKY76206-21 directly processes a digital audio input to create its
audio output. The audio signal is reproduced with very high fidelity, even in dense electronics with multiple
nearby radio transmitters. The device is optimized for efficiency at low output power levels where most Class D
amplifiers are highly inefficient, making it the right fit for wearables with high sensitivity speaker drivers. It has a
low quiescent power in active mode, and its state-of-the-art pop and click suppression makes transitions into the
low power consumption standby mode a seamless experience to the user while preserving battery life.
The SKY76206-21 requires two power inputs. VBAT (+2.3 V to +4.9 V) is commonly connected directly to a
lithium-ion battery, avoiding the efficiency losses of a voltage regulator. VDDIO (+1.2 V or +1.8 V) must be a
regulated voltage, selected to best match the output voltage levels of the external host microcontroller, driving
the I2C, digital audio, and GPIO nets. VDDIO is also the input source for the internal voltage regulator which
generates two regulated voltages, VDD0P9 (+0.9 V) and VDDLV (+0.275 V). Each of these four voltage nets require
only an external bulk capacitor adjacent to the pin for normal operation.
The differential audio output pins operate at 3.072 MHz, with a pulse-width and voltage modulated (PWVM)
square wave, with a magnitude that varies between VDDLV (+0.275 V), VDD0P9 (+0.9 V), VDDIO, and VBAT. This
differential output acts as a charge-pump into an inductive load (speaker driver) to recreate the audio signal.
Figure 2 shows this in concept (timing is not to scale) for VDDIO = +1.8 V and VBAT = +3.8 V.