Boréas BOS1921 Meets Demand for Low-Cost, High-Performance Haptics in Ultra-Thin PC Trackpads
Piezo haptic driver shrinks BOM cost, hardware footprint while boosting responsiveness and resolution
BROMONT, Québec — September 28, 2022 — Boréas Technologies today introduced the BOS1921, a tiny piezo driver that delivers autonomous operation and sensing for piezo haptic trackpads in a single chip—freeing PC OEMs from the dedicated electronics that other piezo drivers require for force sensing. This advancement reduces bill of materials (BOM) costs by up to 2x, keeps piezo haptic trackpads thin, improves responsiveness, and provides 15x greater sensing resolution than the BOS1901, Boréas’ first-generation piezo haptic driver.
“PC OEMs are in a highly competitive marketplace with tight margins—and piezo haptic trackpads have become an important differentiator,” said Simon Chaput, founder and CEO, Boréas Technologies. “Thinner and lighter than older mechanical trackpads, with support for crisper, cleaner tactile experiences, piezo haptic trackpads are winning designs in laptops and notebooks—and our piezo haptic drivers, including the BOS1921, are leading this migration.”
Key Features of the BOS1921
Autonomous Operation
- Integrated digital front end with I3C/I2C and a waveform synthesizer (WFS)—removes the need for dedicated electronics, e.g., microcontrollers, reducing BOM costs and conserving board space
High-Resolution Piezo Sensing
- 7 mV sensing resolution, interrupt generation and automatic triggering of haptic feedback—provides increased sensitivity and the lowest-latency haptic feedback on the market, improving the user experience
CapDrive Technology
- 10x less power than competing haptic platforms—saves battery life
- Integrated sensing—reduces BOM costs
Wide-Bandwidth High-Voltage Output to Drive Multiple Applications
- 190 Vpk-pk (+/- 95V) output voltage and wide supply voltage range of 3V to 5.5V—supports a wide range of piezo actuators, providing design flexibility in applications such as PC trackpads, micropumps, and piezo fans
Availability and Information
The BOS1921 is already sampling to key customers with production slated for Q2 2023. For more information on the BOS1921, visit https://www.boreas.ca/pages/bos1921-early-release or email: info@boreas.ca
About Boréas Technologies
Named a top semiconductor company to watch in the EE Times Silicon 100, Boréas Technologies Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company commercializing product-differentiating piezo IC platforms in consumer and industrial markets. With origins in research conducted at Harvard University, Boréas was founded in 2016 in Bromont, Québec. Its proprietary CapDrive™ technology platform—on which the company’s ICs are based—is ideal for resource-constrained devices such as PC trackpads, smartwatches and fitness trackers, smartphones and gaming phones, game controllers, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
The Boréas logo is a registered trademark, and CapDrive is a trademark, of Boréas Technologies Inc. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Press Contacts
Marc-André Morin, Boréas Technologies
Email: mamorin[@]boreas.ca
Maria Vetrano, Vetrano Communications
Email: maria[at]vetrano.com