The MAX6012-MAX6050 family from Maxim Integrated (now part of Analog Devices) is a set of precision series voltage references in SOT23-3 - the higher-accuracy companion to Maxim's general-purpose SOT23 references. They use curvature-correction and laser-trimmed thin-film resistors to hold a tight initial tolerance and a low temperature coefficient. The MAX6025 is the 2.500 V grade - a natural ADC/DAC full-scale reference - and the "A" suffix in MAX6025AEUR+T denotes the 0.2% initial-accuracy, 15 ppm/°C grade.

It is a series reference, not a shunt: like a precision micropower regulator it draws only the current the load needs, so the supply current is nearly independent of input voltage and there is no wasted ballast bias. Quiescent current is just 35 µA maximum with a 0.8 µA/V supply-current variation - but unlike a 45 µA general-purpose part, the MAX6025 can source and sink up to ±500 µA, so it holds the reference node firm against a load that pushes current either way.

The precision is matched by easy application. The reference is stable with any capacitive load from 0 to 2.2 nF - no output capacitor is required and none in that range upsets it. Dropout is 100 mV at a 500 µA load, load regulation is 0.12 µV/µA, and output noise is 8 µV/√Hz. Turn-on settles to within 0.1% in 30 µs to 220 µs, and the device runs from a 2.7 V to 12.6 V input over -40 °C to +85 °C - all in the three-pin SOT23-3.

Note: Values are taken from the Maxim MAX6012-MAX6050 datasheet. Confirm every parameter against the latest official documentation before committing a design.

MAX6025AEUR+T ships in the SOT23-3 (3-pin small-outline transistor package, outline 21-0051) - the tiny three-lead body that lets a precision reference fit the hand-held and battery designs it targets. With only three pins (IN, OUT, GND) the layout is simple: keep the OUT trace short to the converter reference pin it drives, bypass IN, and place any 0-2.2 nF output capacitor close to the pin. The dimensional drawing below gives the full mechanical detail.

The SOT23-3 has three pins - input, output and ground (per the MAX6012-MAX6050 datasheet):

• Pin 1 - IN: Supply input; 2.7 V to 12.6 V. Bypass to GND.
• Pin 2 - OUT: Reference output, 2.500 V; sources and sinks ±500 µA. Stable with 0-2.2 nF.
• Pin 3 - GND: Ground.

The closest options are other SOT23-3 series references by output voltage. The MAX6025 sits in the precision (0.2% / 15 ppm) class; the MAX6001-MAX6005 below are the general-purpose (1% / 100 ppm) grades in the same package and pinout.

Selection Tips: Choose the MAX6025A for a precision 2.5 V reference (0.2% / 15 ppm); within the same MAX6012-MAX6050 precision family, other voltages (1.247 V to 5.000 V) are available. If 1% / 100 ppm is enough, the MAX6002 gives the same 2.5 V in the lower-cost grade, with the MAX6001/6003/6004/6005 covering other voltages.

Maxim Integrated, now part of Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI), built the MAX6012-MAX6050 to bring precision-reference performance - curvature-correction, laser-trimmed thin-film resistors, 0.2% accuracy and 15 ppm/°C - to the space- and power-constrained world of the SOT23-3.

ADI maintains the datasheet, the accuracy and tempco grades, and the stability and turn-on guidance for the family - the documentation that turns a three-pin SOT23 into a precision ADC/DAC reference for hand-held and industrial designs.