ICs & Semiconductors

Silicon Labs has introduced a high-performance bridge controller that offers a turnkey solution for bridging a universal serial bus (USB) host and a serial peripheral interface (SPI) bus with driver support for Windows, OS X and Linux operating systems.

NXP Semiconductors has released a compact family of CAN System Basis Chips (SBCs) – the UJA116x. The UJA116x family of SBCs optimises performance in a broad range of automotive ECU applications, such as steering, cameras and dashboards, where board space is at a premium.

International Rectifier’s latest highly compact AUIR08152S automotive-qualified gate drive IC features high output current in excess of 10A that shrinks system size and boosts performance in automotive and industrial high-power switching applications.

Melexis has made a further addition to its customer programmable Triaxis Hall effect sensor IC portfolio. Targeted predominantly at use in electric vehicles (EVs), hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) and renewable energy systems, the high speed devices in the MLX91208 series each offer a response time of just 3µs.

Silicon Labs has introduced a new family of relative humidity (RH) and temperature sensors that simplify RH sensing designs while providing both power efficiency and ease of use. Silicon Labs’ second-generation RH sensing solution, the Si701x/2x sensors combine a standard CMOS mixed-signal IC with a proven technique of measuring humidity using a polymer dielectric film.

Following a 2.5 percent decline in 2012, the global semiconductor market has regained its footing in 2013 with revenue set to expand by nearly 5 percent because of the strong performance of the memory sector. Global semiconductor sales in 2013 will amount to $317.9 billion, up 4.9 percent from $302.9 billion in 2012, according to preliminary estimates from the Semiconductor Value Chain Service at IHS.

STMicroelectronics has launched a new family of always-on 6-axis inertial motion sensors with what it claims is the industry’s lowest power requirements. With ultra-compact packaging and improved design flexibility the family features a 6-axis inertial motion-sensing device that can run all sensor-related functions as well as customer-specific application software onboard while consuming up to 40% less power than existing solutions.

A new report from IHS suggests that the global market for semiconductors used in home appliance products will see growth rates rise by nearly double this year compared to 2012. Total semiconductor revenue for major home appliances will reach an estimated $2.6 billion by the end of the year, up from $2.3 billion in 2012. The market is pegged to grow more than 12 percent this year, almost twice the 6.8 percent rise posted in 2012.

Renesas Electronics has developed a functional safety software package for its 32-bit RX631 and RX63N microcontroller (MCU) Groups. The solution provides diagnostic software for the RX CPU core, and its internal memory, and a detailed safety manual to significantly reduce development time for designs that need to conform to stringent safety directives for industrial equipment, such as safety controllers, programmable logic controllers, industrial motor drives and safety sensors.

Freescale Semiconductor and embedded system solutions provider MicroSys Electronics are collaborating to establish the industry’s most integrated development platform for functional safety. The move comes in response to the growing number of stringent functional regulations and the demand for shorter development cycles. Both trends are putting pressure on designers developing industrial equipment systems and driving the demand for integrated solutions with easy to use software.