Orca is a fabless semiconductor company, based in Silicon Valley and Milan, Italy, designed to meet a market void they see not served by companies for optimized analog semiconductor solutions. With that in mind, the company is leveraging its application-specific analog technology to build its OS2000 IO-Link communications transceiver, designed to improve the intelligence for Industry 4.0 in industrial applications. The OS2000 enables seamless, bi-directional communication between sensors, actuators, and control systems, boosting productivity, improving efficiency and reducing downtime throughout the factory floor.

Founded by CEO Andrew Baker and two other engineers from Maxim, Orca is serving the analog application specific standard product (ASSP) market, which according to data from WSTS (World Semiconductor Trade Statistics) is growing at a CAGR of 5% to $73 billion in 2028. Markets for the company’s technology include smart health and smart factory.

Last June, Orca tackled the smart health market by launching the OS1000, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) product for wearables. Now, the introduction of the OS2000 will enable Orca to serve the smart factory market, where Industry 4.0 is driving the digitalization of the factory floor.

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“Our focus is on customers who need customized solutions,” said Baker in a recent interview with Design News. “Organic growth in large companies is difficult, they now grow through acquisitions. They neglect $50 million opportunities.”

Orca’s OS2000 is an IO-Link communication transceiver that can be used in either IO-Link master or device applications and features two control interface options: I²C or GPIO (general input output). The I²C mode allows control over advanced features and diagnostics not available in GPIO mode.

The OS2000 has two linear voltage regulators, one digital input channel, an internal clock generator, and integrated surge protection for input power, CQ, and the digital input channel. The linear 5 V voltage regulators may be bypassed if an external 5 V source is available. The internal clock generator may be used to provide an IO-Link timing-compliant clock to the system microcontroller, simplifying designs. It features five different output frequency options allowing it to work with most microcontrollers. The OS2000 is designed to be footprint and function compatible with the MAX22515 from Analog Devices providing an easy direct replacement in any application.

Key features include a power supply Input of 8 to 36 V, an Auxiliary Digital Input (DI), and a C/Q Driver that allows the user to adjust driver current as well as the slew rate. Other features include an optional oscillator output for microcontroller clock, IO-Link Wake-Up detection and wake-up generation, and internal 20 mA, 3.3 and 5.0 V linear regulators.  The transceiver operates at COM1, COM2, and COM3 rates, over an operating temperature range of -40°C to +125°C. It comes in a WLCSP-20 package measuring 2.5 mm x 2.0 mm.

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The OS2000 will be available in December with general sampling starting the second quarter of 2025.