Zero Current Switches
Torex Semiconductor Introduces New Load Switch ICs Achieving Zero Current Consumption
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Torex Semiconductor has built a load switch IC that consumes zero current — even while it's on. The company's new XC8115/XC8116 Series draws 0µA in both active and standby modes, according to Business Wire. That means the switch itself stops draining the battery entirely, a claim that has caught the attention of engineers building IoT sensors, medical implants, and energy harvesting devices.
Torex (TOKYO Prime: 6616) listed in June 2026, and its stock rose 2.4% following the announcement, according to Market Screener. The devices come in two tiny packages — a 1.5mm × 1.5mm chip and a standard SOT-25 — and can handle temperatures up to 105°C.
Why Zero Current Changes Battery Math Forever
Load switches act like electronic gates. They turn sections of a circuit on or off. Every switch ever built leaked a small amount of current — even when "off." In IoT devices targeting a 10-year battery life, that leak matters a lot. A few microamps sounds tiny, but over a decade it quietly kills the battery.
The XC8115/XC8116 eliminates that leak entirely. According to Business Wire, the 0µA figure applies in both active operation and standby mode. That means a sensor sitting idle for months draws nothing through its switch. For energy harvesting devices — powered by light, heat, or vibration — this removes one of the last drains on an already thin power budget.
Smart Switch Still Protects the Circuit While Drawing Nothing
Earlier "zero current" switches existed, but they were dumb. They dropped protection features to hit their power targets. The XC8115/XC8116 keeps all the key safety functions intact. That includes reverse current blocking, which stops current from flowing back into the battery when the switch turns off.
The series also includes an adjustable soft-start function and a CL discharge feature. Soft-start lets power-hungry chips like FPGAs wake up safely without a sudden voltage spike. CL discharge quickly drains the output capacitor when the switch turns off. According to ADVFN, both devices target applications like FPGAs and microcontrollers — hardware that needs precise power sequencing to avoid damage.
Medical and Industrial Sectors Are the Big Winners
The DFN1515-6A package measures just 1.5mm × 1.5mm × 0.38mm. That's small enough for ingestible sensors and medical implants where battery swaps are impossible. It also works up to 105°C, putting it within range of industrial environments and some automotive-adjacent uses.
For large industrial sensor networks — think oil pipelines or smart bridges — battery replacement is expensive. If a switch consuming 0µA helps a battery last 12 years instead of 8, the cost savings across thousands of remote sensors runs into the millions. According to Financial Content, Torex frames the series as a solution for both small-battery consumer devices and larger energy harvesting systems.
Critics Say "Zero" Comes With Fine Print
Not everyone accepts the "zero" label at face value. Power electronics specialists note that at temperatures near the 105°C upper limit, thermal leakage is physically unavoidable. The 0µA figure reflects room-temperature performance. At the thermal edge, nano-amp leakage still occurs — small, but real.
There's also a system-level catch. The switch may draw nothing, but the circuit board around it still can. Moisture or residue on a PCB creates surface leakage paths that bypass the IC's zero-current advantage entirely. Torex's claim is accurate for the component itself. Realizing that gain in a finished product places a precise manufacturing burden on the engineers who use it. The company calls it a solution — but the fine print is in the layout.
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