Archive : 29 October 2008 year
Agilent Technologies' Wins EuroAsia 2008 IC Industry Award
21:26Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced that its new family of parametric test systems, the Agilent 4080 Series, received the EuroAsia 2008 IC Industry Award for Final Manufacturing - Best Tool.
The EuroAsia IC Industry Awards, sponsored by EuroAsia Semiconductor magazine, recognize excellence in integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing. Winners are selected based on ballot voting from industry peers. The awards focus on the people, processes and products that drive the industry forward. Voting is open to all companies, individuals and organizations within the IC industry.
Agilent's 4080 parametric test systems family is a superset of the previous 4070 series of test systems that combines the proven accuracy and reliability of the previous generation with significantly higher throughput. The 4080 Series is well proven in several major semiconductor companies where it is in manufacturing use 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Existing and new wafer fabs running advanced processes face ever-greater parametric testing challenges. Out of necessity, parametric test has expanded beyond pure DC measurement and now spans a variety of different measurement types. These include parallel test, Flash memory cell read/write/erase testing and RF S-parameter characterization. Anticipating these needs, Agilent has developed the versatile, flexible and scalable 4080 parametric test platform.
"We are honored to receive this prestigious award," said Minoru Ebihara, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Hachioji Semiconductor Test Division. "This award is especially meaningful to us because we were acknowledged by both our customers and peers in the industry as offering a product that provides superior capabilities that were not previously available in semiconductor industry."
EuroAsia Semiconductor is published by Angel Business Communications Ltd., a specialist trade magazine publishing house. It is a top source of information specific to the European and Asian microelectronics industry.
From: http://www.agilent.com
National Instruments Wins Award for Use of Social Technologies in Online Support Community
21:24National Instruments today was named the winner of the 2008 Forrester Groundswell Awards in the Supporting category. The awards, which recognize excellence using social technologies to interact with customers, were announced at Forrester Research’s Consumer Forum in Dallas.
“National Instruments highly values its customers, and we are honored to receive this award for building an online community that supports engineers at more than 25,000 companies globally,” said John Graff, vice president of marketing and customer operations at National Instruments. “Community is a vital part of our business, and we have used emerging Web technologies to help our users collaborate and communicate online, which reduces support costs, improves product development and identifies key customer successes.”
NI implemented a variety of online tools such as discussion forums, wikis, social networks, blogs and videos that provide a support network for customers to collaborate on engineering applications. Because no one industry represents more than 10 percent of the company’s revenue, NI uses these social technologies to connect engineers working on similar applications so they can obtain domain-specific support from their peers. Today, NI community members answer 46 percent of all questions that arise in online discussion forums.
The NI online community helps users share development techniques and software code, learn about cutting-edge technologies and connect with product experts working on similar applications. In April, NI also launched a specialized community for the 40,000 high school students that participate in the FIRST Robotics Competition, which helps students learn basic engineering concepts. This community fosters a unique support program – the NI LabVIEW virtual mentors – for which professional engineers help students with questions related to NI products and basic engineering without ever leaving their computers.
The Forrester Groundswell Awards were developed to support the principles of the book “Groundswell: Winning In A World Transformed By Social Technologies,” published by Harvard Business Press in May 2008. Written by Josh Bernoff and Charlene Li, “Groundswell” focuses on effective business strategies in a world transformed by social technologies and features numerous case studies. More information about the Forrester Groundswell Awards is available at www.forrester.com/Groundswell/awards.html.
TI expands 1394 portfolio with industry's most secure content protection
20:55Texas Instruments (TI) today introduced two consumer electronics 1394 (Firewire™) link layer and integrated physical layer devices for digitally interfacing advanced video applications with the highest level of content security on the market today. The devices support the latest requirements from the Digital Transport Licensing Authority (DTLA), including localization for DTCP-encrypted premium content. The TSB43EC42 and the TSB43EA42 provide unparalleled security and Quality of Service (QoS) for home networking in set top boxes, digital televisions, and Blu-ray recorders.
Extending TI's 1394 CE family, the TSB43EC42 and TSB43EA42 will enable tru2way™ set top boxes and digital televisions to record in high definition. The TSB43EC42 adds AES-128 encryption to the transport stream interface, which provides very robust protection by keeping content encrypted at all times. This eliminates the need for additional physical content protection on the printed circuit board and can simplify board layout. Both the TSB43EC42 and TSB43EA42's integrated 1394a two-port PHY operate at 100 Mbps, 200 Mbps or 400 Mbps and are fully compliant with the IEEE Std. 1394-1995 and IEEE Std. 1394a-2000.
Other key features include the following:
- Supports multiple video streaming format - MPEG2, MPEG4, DV and DSS
- IEC61883-1, IEC61883-2, IEC61883-4 and IEC61883-7 compliant
- PID filtering and packet insertion for MPEG transmit
- Supports various types of external CPU interfaces - 68K, SRAM and PCI
- DMA support with higher asynchronous throughput
- Low-power modes
Tru2way makes it easy for consumers to access two-way interactive cable content, such as video-on-demand and pay-per-view. 1394 technology is the only standard on the market today to permit real-time digital recording with superior QoS and proven content protection. More information on TI's broad 1394 portfolio can be found at ti.com/1394.
Availability
The TSB43EC42 and TSB43EA42 are available now in a BGA package. For pricing, samples or evaluation modules, please contact TI sales support at support.ti.com.
Free: http://ti.com
Agilent Technologies' New Signal Analyzer X-Series Offers Increased Performance, Greater Scalability, More Application Solutions
11:26Agilent Technologies Inc. announced enhancements to its X-Series signal analyzers, which deliver even faster speed and unmatched scalability. The Agilent X-Series has the industry's widest range of application-specific measurement solutions, now including EDGE Evolution and LTE MIMO.
The Agilent X-Series signal analyzers now offer an upgradeable dual core processor that makes measurements up to three times faster. Its measurement applications include:
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Also recently added are EDGE Evolution, DVB-T/H, DTMB and LTE MIMO. Now with the ability to transport these applications, test equipment managers can reduce investments and increase asset use by moving applications either across the lab or across the globe.
The Agilent X-Series includes the Agilent EXA and MXA signal analyzers. The upgraded Agilent EXA delivers 25 MHz analysis bandwidth, giving even more performance at a reasonable price point. It is the industry's fastest economy-class signal analyzer and provides development and manufacturing engineers with the capabilities to cost-effectively troubleshoot new designs or increase manufacturing throughput.
The Agilent MXA is the fastest signal analyzer on the market. It has available Dual MIMO, which brings the latest in two-channel LTE FDD analysis technology to today's test bench. With an all-digital IF and pre-amps up to 26 GHz, the Agilent MXA provides high accuracy in a midrange analyzer and industry-leading measurement speed, enabling dramatic improvements in throughput and yields in manufacturing test.
"The MXA is a mid-range signal analyzer with the highest performance, broadest range of applications and top scalability," said Guy Sene, vice president and general manager of Agilent's Signal Analysis Division. "Our intention with the X-Series was to deliver signal analyzers that were a generation ahead and would also be flexible enough to accommodate future test technologies. With today's financial challenges, it is important to make capital equipment purchases that retain their value for the long term."
For more information about Agilent's MXA signal analyzer, visit www.agilent.com/find/mxa.
For information about the Agilent EXA signal analyzer, go to www.agilent.com/find/exa.
From: http://www.agilent.com
Agilent Technologies' EMPro 3D Electromagnetic Design Platform Reduces Design Time
11:25Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today introduced Electromagnetic Professional (EMPro), a new design platform for analyzing the electromagnetic (EM) effects of RF and microwave components such as high-speed IC packages, antennas, on-chip embedded passives and PCB interconnects. The software features the most modern design, simulation and analysis environment, highest-capacity simulation technology. It integrates with the industry's leading RF and microwave circuit design environment, Agilent's Advanced Design System (ADS), for fast and efficient RF and microwave circuit design.
"The EMPro platform was developed from the ground up, incorporating the industry's best proven architecture, user interface and simulation technologies," said Erwin DeBaetselier, product marketing manager with Agilent's EEsof EDA division. "EMPro's architectural advantages relieve designers of time spent setting up, simulating and post processing results, leaving more time for innovation and creating the best designs."
Key features of EMPro's environment include:
- efficient, time-saving design entry through the 3D drawing environment, importing of 3D CAD data files or integration with ADS;
- intelligent "one-time" materials assignment, allowing designers to "set it and forget it" for subsequent data file imports;
- interactive 3D editing, minimizing back-and-forth mouse movements to menu options and dialog boxes;
- parameterization of 3D objects, eliminating rework and providing additional time savings;
- industry's fastest and highest-capacity 3D EM simulation and post-processing technology, resulting in demonstrated dramatic simulation speed-up over other EM point tools;
- dynamic, real-time plot updating during simulation, providing early insight and avoiding surprises that can surface only after the final results are available;
- Linux and Windows(tm) support, allowing designers to run EMPro on their operating system of choice; and
- worldwide, local language technical and applications support from Agilent, the industry leader in RF and microwave design, test and measurement.
EMPro's key features offer significant advantages over the industry's current 3D EM point tools such as Ansoft HFSS and CST Microwave Studio. EMPro also sets itself apart from EM point tools through its innovative integration with the industry's leading RF and microwave circuit design environment, Agilent's ADS. ADS RF designers can import EMPro parameterized 3D components such as connectors, solder connections, package lead-frames or any custom component for EM simulation and optimization in ADS. This capability enables simulation of a complete family of structures in one step. Because the parameterized 3D component is created one time and is designed to integrate with both EMPro and ADS, the manual, error-prone links between today's stand-alone 3D EM point tools and ADS are eliminated, resulting in faster design and better accuracy.
Additionally, ADS circuit designers can export layout files from ADS and import them EMPro to accurately model 3D effects (for example, the radiation pattern of a planar antenna molded around the curved surface of a wireless appliance).
U.S. Pricing and Availability
Agilent EMPro is expected to be available in November 2008, with prices starting at approximately $50,000.
For more information about EMPro, visit www.agilent.com/find/eesof-empro.
From: http://www.agilent.com
Agilent Technologies, BioTrove to Streamline Drug Discovery Using High-Throughput Mass Spectrometry
11:24Agilent Technologies Inc. and BioTrove today announced that they have signed a non-exclusive value-added reseller agreement to enable BioTrove to provide an end-to-end solution for mass spectrometry-based drug discovery. This solution will combine technology leader BioTrove's RapidFire Mass Spectrometry sample preparation system with Agilent's rugged, accurate mass spectrometers. The reseller agreement expands on an established strategic relationship between Agilent and BioTrove, furthering both companies' ability to enhance customer workflows.
BioTrove will provide an integrated solution for drug discovery using mass spectrometry analysis, affording customers access to a single system. BioTrove's RapidFire system - comprised of robotics and microfluidic handling for sample preparation and advanced software - combined with Agilent's Triple Quadrupole and Time-of-Flight mass spectrometry instruments create a high-throughput advanced workflow solution. The agreement includes Agilent atmospheric pressure ionization sources with the mass spectrometers, which generate reliable quantitative and qualitative results via highly sensitive and selective mass analysis, based on the molecular composition of the target compounds.
RapidFire mass spectrometry greatly decreases the bottleneck that occurs during high-throughput screening of candidate drug compounds by enabling automated sample preparation, at a rate of approximately six to eight seconds per sample, followed by seamless integration with the mass spectrometer. Currently used by 11 of the world's largest 15 pharmaceutical companies, the RapidFire system is one of the fastest and most innovative drug discovery solutions on the market.
"Agilent has emerged as a leader in high-speed LC/MS systems and this partnership offers customers a truly high-throughput assay system and will enable unique, label-free assays that were previously virtually impossible," said Gus Salem, general manager for Agilent's LC/MS business. "Agilent is pleased to partner with BioTrove's RapidFire system, the fastest sample-introduction technology on the market for LC/MS, to offer customers greater speed, throughput and enhanced productivity."
"Our expanded collaboration enables our biopharmaceutical customers to unleash their research creativity while we focus on enhanced screening applications," said Al Luderer, Ph.D., president and CEO, BioTrove. "As part of this complete solution, BioTrove will offer the RapidFire system and the mass spectrometer as well as provide support for the integrated system. The seamless end-to-end solution is now available globally via collaboration between Agilent and BioTrove."
BioTrove will offer complete systems comprised of its RapidFire system combined with a broad offering of Agilent LC/MS systems including but not limited to: Agilent's popular 6410 Triple Quadrupole LC/MS system, its new 6460 Triple Quadrupole LC/MS system with Agilent Jet Stream technology and industry leading sensitivity, or its 6220 Accurate Mass Time-of-Flight LC/MS system. As Agilent continues to innovate in LC/MS, new systems with even greater sensitivity, mass accuracy and speed will become available.
From: http://www.agilent.com
Freescale 3V pressure sensors enhance system compatibility
11:09Freescale Semiconductor has introduced a series of low-voltage pressure sensors designed to meet power efficiency demands in battery-backed handheld and mobile communication products. Operating at up to 3 volts, the highly integrated micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)-based MP3V5050 pressure sensors are engineered to help developers reduce system cost, size and power consumption by eliminating the need for additional interfacing devices.
The MP3V5050 pressure sensors include a broad pressure range from 0 PSI to 7 PSI (50 kPa). These pressure sensors are fully amplified, signal conditioned, temperature compensated and provide a high output signal – all in a small form factor. This on-chip integration makes the MP3V5050 pressure sensors an all-in-one plug-and-play product to connect to Freescale and other equivalent 3V microcontrollers.
MP3V5050 Pressure Sensor Features
- Supply voltage 2.7 V to 3.3 V
- Typical full scale span 2.7 V
- 0 to 7 PSI (50 kPa) pressure range
- Vacuum version available in MP3V5050V
- 2.5% maximum error over 0° to 85°C
- Temperature compensated over –40° to +125°C
- Ideally suited for microprocessor or microcontroller-based systems
- Patented silicon shear stress strain gauge
- Multiple porting options available
- Durable thermoplastic surface mount package
- Available in rails or tape-in-reel shipping options
Price and availability
Suggested per-unit resale pricing in 10,000-piece quantities (all prices USD):
- MP3V5050VC6T1 and MP3V5050VC6U at $6.79
- MP3V5050GP, MP3V5050DP, MP3V5050GC6T1 and MP3V5050GC6U at $7.07
Freescale will be discussing these low-voltage pressure sensors and additional MEMS product lines at the annual MEMS Executive Congress, Nov. 5-7, 2008 in Monterey, Calif. Visit www.memscongress.com for information. For more information about the MP3V pressure sensor series, visit http://www.freescale.com/files/pr/mp3v.html.
From: http://freescale.com
Tiny Intersil Buck PWM Regulator Enables More Versatile, Higher Efficiency Power Solutions Than Linear Regulators
11:07Intersil Corporation, a world leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance analog semiconductors, today introduced the ISL8500, a high-performance, 24V, 2A standard buck PWM regulator that provides a simple power solution for a variety of point-of-load applications.
The PWM controller in the ISL8500 drives an internal switching N-Channel power MOSFET that generates an output voltage from 0.6V to 19V when used with an external Schottky diode. The integrated power switch is optimized for excellent thermal performance up to 2A of output current. The ISL8500 switches at a fixed frequency of 500kHz and uses simple voltage mode with integrated input voltage feed-forward control to provide flexibility in component selection and space savings.
Protection features such as overcurrent, undervoltage and thermal overload protection make the ISL8500 a robust power solution. Output voltage monitoring and power sequencing can be realized using the integrated PGOOD (Power OK) and Enable (EN) features of the ISL8500. The PWM regulator also includes an externally adjustable soft-start time to enable smooth, monotonic start up and in-rush current control.
Supporting an input voltage range of up to 24V, the ISL8500 is an optimal design choice for 5V point-of-load applications, 12V power supplies and 24V battery powered systems. The ISL8500 is available in a small, thermally enhanced 4mm x 3mm DFN package.
The ISL8500 is ideal for telecom and datacom designs, test and measurement systems, industrial or instrumentation applications, set top boxes and DSL modems.
Pricing and Availability
The ISL8500 is available now in a 12-lead DFN package and is priced at $2.05 each in 1,000-unit quantities.
For more information on the ISL8500, please go to http://www.intersil.com/cda/deviceinfo/0,1477,ISL8500.html
From: http://www.intersil.com
MICROSOFT .NET MICRO FRAMEWORK DEBUTS ON ANALOG DEVICES’ BLACKFIN PROCESSOR
11:05At today’s Embedded Systems Conference, Analog Devices Inc., and AxiomFount Inc. announced the availability of the Microsoft .NET Micro Framework on Analog Devices’ popular Blackfin processors. The move brings the popular managed-code application environment to the world’s only convergent processor family via AxiomFount’s AxiDotNet and integrated .NET Micro Framework solutions. This gives a broad community of application developers easy access to high-performance signal processing resources for the first time through Microsoft Corp.’s widely adopted Visual Studio development tools. The move to host .NET applications on Blackfin processors supports Microsoft’s focus on application development for media-rich embedded products applications.
“It is really exciting to see the growth in the capabilities and complexity of today’s embedded devices. More and more embedded applications are integrating rich media features and sophisticated processing needs. The Blackfin processor family is a great platform for supporting these applications, and .NET brings greater programmer productivity, especially when handling increasingly complex programming tasks,” said Colin Miller, product unit manager for the .NET Micro Framework at Microsoft. “With version 3.0 of the .NET Micro Framework, we are continuing to target the needs of embedded developers with advanced programming models. Together we are providing embedded developers with a development environment and a high- performance platform for cutting-edge applications to run on.”
The ability to use Microsoft’s Visual Studio tools with Blackfin devices instantly gives a large community of software engineers, already familiar with server and desktop application development in the Microsoft .NET environment, access to the powerful convergent processor family. The ability to utilize the larger pool of .NET application developers in conjunction with specialized embedded developers reduces development costs and schedules.
“In the embedded environment, developing rich media applications with high-end signal-processing algorithms has traditionally required specialized engineering resources,” said Jerry McGuire, vice president of the General Purpose DSP group at Analog Devices. “Bringing the .NET Micro Framework to the Blackfin family opens up convergent application development to a much larger population that includes application developers without traditional embedded software experience.”
The programming abstractions provided by the .NET Micro Framework ease the development of embedded products, allowing applications to be decoupled from the Blackfin hardware. In addition to full integration with Visual Studio, the .NET Micro Framework software development kit (SDK) is equipped with an emulator to simulate targeted hardware capabilities. The framework also enables device developers to connect diverse hardware solutions to virtually any peripheral device through industry-standard communication connections and managed drivers.
With .NET, the majority of Blackfin-based software is developed in the application layer using Visual C#, managed drivers and libraries in the Visual Studio environment; compared to development in C, C++ or assembly code. In addition, new applications and features can easily be added to existing Blackfin-based products with minimal or no effort at the hardware or platform abstraction layers.
Blackfin EZ-KIT Lite evaluation kits supported by AxiDotNet solution can be purchased through Analog Devices, online or through a local ADI sales or Distributor office. A time-limited evaluation version of AxiDotNet solution is available at no cost. Developers can contact AxiomFount (www.axiomfount.com) for one of the complete AxiDotNet solutions packages. The packages are focused on enabling core functions, applicable interfaces and features as generic solutions, as well as solutions with market application focus.
Convergent Processing
With a clear vision of the future needs of embedded applications, Analog Devices has been the pioneering innovator behind convergent processing – achieving best-of-breed performance, cost-efficiency and power-efficiency for both signal processing and control processing, in a single, homogeneous processor architecture. ADI’s convergent processing approach, embodied in the Blackfin family of processors, has replaced heterogeneous co-processor architectures in thousands of applications and products, making engineering development faster, easier, and less costly.
The Blackfin family is backed by industry-leading tools, starter kits and support including the ADI CROSSCORE® software and hardware tools and the award-winning VisualDSP++® integrated development and debug environment (IDDE), emulators, and EZ-KIT Lite® evaluation hardware.
From: http://www.analog.com
Freescale microcontrollers to power GM’s next-generation electronic engine control systems
11:04Freescale Semiconductor, the leading supplier of semiconductors to the automotive industry, is providing advanced microcontroller (MCU) technology to help General Motors drive breakthroughs in green engine design. According to an agreement reached by both companies, GM will use Freescale dual-core Power Architecture™ MCUs to manage sophisticated powertrain systems in future GM vehicle models.
Freescale MCUs are instrumental in helping GM meet stringent emissions requirements, boost fuel efficiency and transfer more engine power to the road for a better driving experience. GM electronic control systems have incorporated Freescale technology since 1979, when a Freescale MCU was first used in GM’s closed-loop carburetor controller. Freescale is the only semiconductor company to receive GM’s prestigious Supplier of the Year award for two consecutive years.
In 2004, GM announced a landmark agreement to use Freescale’s 32-bit Power Architecture MCUs in GM powertrain engine control systems around the world. This latest agreement extends that cooperative initiative to include Freescale’s next-generation MCU technology.
"Freescale has provided GM with enabling technology for nearly 30 years, and together, we continue to drive powertrain innovations that improve fuel efficiency and reduce harmful emissions while enhancing vehicle performance," said Ray Cornyn, director of automotive microcontrollers at Freescale. "This latest agreement will enable GM to standardize on Freescale’s dual-core 32-bit MCUs to help reduce system costs, shorten development time and simplify design of future GM powertrain control modules.”
Faced with soaring fuel prices and pressure to curb greenhouse gases, automakers are racing to design vehicles that deliver better fuel economy and reduced emissions. Strategy Analytics forecasts that 32-bit devices will account for 58 percent of the $7.6 billion automotive MCU market by 2015 and cites that these high-end MCUs will be the key enablers of future emissions-controlling powertrain technology.
According to Strategy Analytics, Freescale is the world’s leading supplier of automotive MCUs. Freescale is also the foremost supplier of 32-bit powertrain MCUs, with 50 percent market share. In 2007, Freescale’s Power Architecture MCU shipments for powertrain topped 30 million units. To date, the company has shipped approximately 150 million 32-bit Power Architecture MCUs that provide the processing intelligence for today’s electronic modules used in engine and transmission control.
From: http://freescale.com
National Instruments Launches Global Take-Back Program
10:59National Instruments today announced a new no-charge service that gives customers the option to return NI hardware products to be recycled. Through the NI global take-back program, NI covers all costs of returning the products and ensures that the products are properly recycled. This new service helps reduce the impact on landfills and other disposal sites and provides an environmentally safe end-of-life solution.
“National Instruments is committed to being a responsible corporate citizen to our global communities and our employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders,” said John Graff, vice president of marketing and customer operations at National Instruments. “The launch of the global take-back program is another example of how National Instruments is consistently working toward our long-term goal to reduce our environmental footprint and help create a better world for employees, customers and fellow global citizens.”
NI is committed to developing products and services that empower engineers and scientists to create innovations that improve the world. NI offers measurement, automation and design tools that make it possible for customers to acquire and analyze real-world data and correct or fix any problems discovered, resulting in more efficient, economic technologies that are better for the planet.
To send hardware products to be recycled, customers can simply e-mail recycling@ni.com, and NI staff will reply with information on how to ship the product. After the product is recycled, NI can also provide a Certificate of Destruction upon customer request.
Readers can learn more about the global take-back program as well as other NI environmental initiatives at www.ni.com/environment.
ANALOG DEVICES’ BROADBAND QUADRATURE MODULATOR IS INDUSTRY’S FIRST TO INTEGRATE AUTOMATIC GAIN CONTROL
10:34Analog Devices, Inc. introduced the industry’s first high-performance broadband I/Q quadrature modulator to integrate automatic gain control (AGC) circuitry within a compact 6-mm × 6-mm LFCSP (lead-frame chip-scale package). ADI’s ADL5386 provides a unique combination of performance and unmatched integration levels for low IF (intermediate frequency) and RF (radio frequency) transmitters within broadband wireless access systems, microwave radio links, cable modem termination systems and cellular infrastructure equipment.
Operating over a 50-MHz to 2200-MHz frequency range, the ADL5386 supports high-data-rate complex modulation for next-generation communication infrastructure equipment. Functionally complete, the ADL5386 integrates a 25-dB dynamic range output power detector and a VVA (voltage variable attenuator). Together, they form a closed-loop automatic level control (ALC) or AGC, enabling the ADL5386 to accurately set the output power to a user determined level. The ADL5386 provides a complete subsystem within a small footprint, saving considerable board space, component cost, and circuit complexity over discrete implementations.
ADL5386 Eases Broadband High-Data-Rate Next-Generation Radio Applications
The ADL5386 provides exceptional output dynamic range due to its high output power capability (+10 dBm P1dB), high single-ended output linearity (+24 dBm IP3), and low noise floor (–160 dBm/Hz). The –38 dBm carrier feedthrough and –46 dBc sideband suppression at 350 MHz minimizes the need for calibration and nulling in complex high-order modulation applications such as 64 QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) and greater.
The ADL5386 wideband inputs (dc to 700 MHz) are compatible with the output levels of ADI’s AD977x family of TxDAC+® (transmit digital-to-analog converter) devices. The –7 dBm local oscillator (LO) drive requirement is compatible with ADI’s ADF4360 series of integrated PLL (phase locked loop) synthesizers. The 2 × LO input frequency of the ADL5386 helps to minimize LO pulling in applications where LO isolation and board density are critical.
Availability and Pricing
The ADL5386 is in full-production and is available in a 40-pin LFCSP. The ADL5386 is priced at $5.29 per unit in 1,000-unit quantities. For more information, visit http://www.analog.com/pr/ADL5386.
From: http://www.analog.com
Atmel's AT91SAM9G20 ARM Embedded MPU Wins Award from Portable Design Community
10:32Atmel® Corporation announced today that its 400 MHz AT91SAM9G20 ARM926EJ-S™-based embedded microprocessor has been voted one of the five best microcontrollers by the 2008 Portable Design China Reader's Survey. The AT91SAM9G20 was the overall winner in two significant categories: performance, and performance & functionality vs cost. The awards were the outcome of one month of on-line voting by Portable Design China's extensive readership base.
Alfredo Vadillo, Atmel's Managing Director for ARM® microcontrollers, commented, "This is the second consecutive year that an Atmel microcontroller has won a leading product award from the readers of Portable Design China. This underlines the leadership of our MCUs in the essential marketplace for portable devices, and also indicates their high level of acceptance in the Chinese market. The AT91SAM9G20, with its outstanding combination of high performance and low power consumption, at a very affordable price, is one of the exciting new products that we are adding to our well-established AT91SAM ARM-based product family, in order to ensure its continued leadership."
About Atmel's Award-Winning AT91SAM9G20. The 400 MHz AT91SAM9G20 features Atmel's market-leading peripheral DMA (direct memory access) and distributed memory architecture that, together with the 6-layer bus matrix, enables multiple simultaneous data transfers between memories, peripherals and external interfaces without consuming CPU clock cycles. The external bus interface (EBI) is clocked at 133 MHz for high-speed transfers to off-chip memories. This architecture gives the device the high internal and external data bandwidth required by many embedded networked applications.
Networking and communications requirements are met by an Ethernet 10/100 Base T MAC, seven USARTs, 12M bps USB Full Speed Dual Host and Device ports, dual SPI, SSC and Two-Wire Interface (TWI). Image sensing requirements are met by a fully integrated Image Sensor Interface (ISI).
Power consumption in full-power operating mode at 400 MHz with all peripherals turned on is only 80 mW. The AT91SAM9G20 also features four reduced-power modes, including Backup Mode where the main power supply is off and the device power consumption is sufficiently low (9uW) for an extended period of operation under battery supply.
From: http://www.atmel.com